Cubs send down Moises Ballesteros amid miserable June

When the 2026 season began, there was some excitement surrounding Chicago Cubs prospect slugger Moises Ballesteros. He was hitting extremely well to begin the campaign and was looking like a prime designated hitter against right-handed hitters. However, his play has drastically declined, especially in the month of June.

That poor play has led the Cubs to send him back down to Triple-A Iowa. The Cubs also announced that they have recalled outfielder Justin Dean to replace Ballesteros on the major league roster.

“Today’s roster moves,” said the Cubs. “Justin Dean recalled. Moises Ballesteros optioned to Triple-A Iowa.”

While the slump has been going on for several weeks, things got especially ugly in June. The Venezuelan native has only recorded six hits with zero home runs and three RBIs through 26 at-bats, giving him a .231 batting average and .286 OBP. He’s also struck out six times during that span while generating just two walks.

Those numbers are well below what he’s done throughout the entire season. In 59 games played so far this year, Ballesteros owns a .231 batting average and .303 OBP while totaling 36 hits, six home runs, and 23 RBIs through 156 at-bats. A majority of his numbers came in March and April (24 hits, five home runs, 16 RBIs in those months), as the Cubs prospect has been ice cold since the start of May.

Considering the Cubs are in th mix of the NL Central with a 39-36 record, removing Moises Ballesteros from the lineup appears to be the right move. Chicago simply needs better production on offense if it hopes to remain in the playoff race with the summer finally here.