Why Is Owen Caissie Riding The Bench When The Cubs Outfield Is Struggling Offensively?

Caissie has spent plenty of time developing in the farm system for the Cubs and his debut was bound to happen this season. Many thought it would have came earlier than it did, but with a what was once a stacked outfield it was hard to justify it, but not anymore.

While his debut wasn't the grand slam that players dream of (was robbed of his first major league hit on an insane catch), he still has only seen the field in one game for the majors.

The 23-year-old has spent the last two years with Triple-A Iowa. This season he was posting the best numbers of his minor league career, regardless of the level, with a .289/.389/.566 bringing his OPS well over .900 (.955). Caissie has 22 homers to compliment 52 RBI and 53 drawn walks.

It is only time until he starts to show what he is capable of with a major league team and the struggling Cubs need a spark of life.

Recent Rut for a Pair of Cubs

To sit either Tucker or Happ would have seemed laughable at the beginning of July, but they are not performing like the team needs them to and a reset might be exactly what one of, if not both, need.

Tucker has grown cold and it appears to be getting worse. His slugging in the last 15 games has dropped to .212 with a batting average of .192. Now, with who he has been the entirety of his career the club is banking on him to breakout sooner rather than later.

Happ's slump is a little more recent, but he is on track to have the worst season of his career this year. In his last seven games he has posted a slash line of .091/.286/.136 which really means he should be the one to step off the field. With Tucker posting a career slash line well above his it would be fair to bet on him rather than Happ and give Happ some time on the bench to let Caissie have a shot.

Chicago has found themselves nine games back from the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central and if they are not careful they could lose the top seed in the wild card race or be bumped out of the playoffs entirely. They need to mix things up and all eyes are Owen Caissie.