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Cubs Surprisingly Exclude No. 6 Prospect From Tokyo Series Roster

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Conor Liguori | Last updated Mar 12, 2025 2:00 PM ET

The Chicago Cubs are preparing to make their final roster decisions for the Tokyo Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

These two National League teams will play a two-game series from March 18 to 19 at the Tokyo Dome, the home stadium of Nippon Professional Baseball's Yomiuri Giants.

While Chicago has already announced that infielder Matt Shaw, its No. 1 prospect, is packing his bags for Japan, others on the organization's top 30 prospect list will not make the trip.

On Tuesday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reported on X that outfield prospect Kevin Alcantara will not be on the Tokyo Series roster. Alcantara, 22, is the Cubs' No. 6-ranked prospect on MLB Pipeline.

Also going to Japan: Jordan Wicks, Ben Brown, Brad Keller (NRI)

Staying behind: Kevin Alcántara, Keegan Thompson

Cubs will put off roster moves until just before Opening Day.
— Maddie Lee (@maddie_m_lee) March 11, 2025

Alcantara's exclusion from the club's roster in Tokyo may indicate that he will not travel with the team to Arizona for Opening Day on March 27. The team will play a four-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.

Born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Alcantara received a brief cup of coffee at the MLB level in 2024, playing three games. He recorded one hit in 10 plate appearances, reaching on an infield single against the Philadelphia Phillies on September 25.

Displaying decent power and steady speed in 2024 with Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa, Alcantara finished the year with 14 home runs, a .781 OPS, and 14 stolen bases in 18 attempts in 111 combined games at both levels.

While center field is Alcantara's primary position, he can also play both corner outfield spots, making him a potentially valuable player in the Cubs' minor league system if multiple players at the MLB level suffer injuries.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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