Cubs' No. 2 prospect cracks roster; Alzolay DFA'd

CHICAGO -- Owen Caissie consistently has been one of the younger hitters at each level as he has moved up the Minor League ladder during his four seasons in the Cubs’ farm system. The outfielder’s steady march has featured steady production.

On Tuesday, Caissie’s climb to the Cubs and Wrigley Field reached an important step: The ballclub added him to the 40-man roster.

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Rostering Caissie -- ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Cubs’ No. 2 prospect and No. 34 overall -- came as part of a handful of moves for Chicago at the deadline to protect players from Rule 5 Draft exposure.

“He's really proved himself at every level,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said during the General Managers Meetings in San Antonio earlier this month. “He's still a prospect, but a really good young prospect. And he's done it at every level at a young age.”

Beyond selecting Caissie’s contract from Triple-A Iowa, the Cubs also selected the contract of infielder Ben Cowles (No. 29 Cubs prospect) from Double-A Knoxville. To clear roster room, the North Siders designated for assignment right-hander Adbert Alzolay and outfielder Brennen Davis. Chicago’s 40-man roster remains at capacity.

Alzolay -- signed by the Cubs out of Venezuela late in 2012 -- is recovering from Tommy John surgery in August and likely is sidelined until late 2025, at the earliest. After Alzolay’s strong showing in ’23, the Cubs hoped he could lock down the closer’s role. But injuries limited him to 18 games this year and ended his season in May.

The Cubs could try to retain Alzolay, who had been eligible for salary arbitration this offseason, via a Minor League deal if he clears waivers and becomes a free agent.

Once the Cubs’ top-ranked prospect, the 25-year-old Davis has endured a myriad of injury setbacks over the three years since his breakout showing in 2021, when he was the MVP of the All-Star Futures Game. The Cubs added him to the 40-man roster (immediately placing him on the 60-day injured list) in late September as part of a procedural move.

As far as Caissie’s path to Chicago, the Cubs’ Major League outfield is set at the moment with three-time Gold Glove Award winner Ian Happ in left, Pete Crow-Armstrong in center and both Cody Bellinger and Seiya Suzuki as options in right. Caissie and fellow Top 100 prospect Kevin Alcántara (No. 67) serve as the next layer of depth behind that cast.

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The Cubs have eight prospects in the Top 100, including six who reached Triple-A last year (infielder Matt Shaw, No. 22; righty Cade Horton, No. 42; catcher Moises Ballesteros, No. 44; infielder James Triantos, No. 55; plus Caissie and Alcántara). Alcántara also broke into the big leagues in late September.

“We've gotten to this place where our best prospects are either breaking into the big leagues or they're in Triple-A. That provides real depth,” Hoyer said at the end of last season. “That's a really enviable position that -- with an injury or poor performance -- the kind of guy that's coming up to the roster is a Top 100 prospect.”

Acquired from the Padres as part of the Yu Darvish trade ahead of the ’21 season, the 22-year-old Caissie was roughly five years younger than the average position player at the Triple-A level last year. In 127 games with Iowa, he posted a slash line of .278/.375/.472 (.847 OPS), mirroring his overall production over the past four seasons (.278/.383/.470).

In 2024, Caissie led all Cubs Minor Leagues in plate appearances (549), finishing with 19 home runs, 29 doubles, 11 steals, 71 walks and 156 strikeouts. He posted a 121 WRC+ (21% above average) and logged a 12.9% walk rate, while manning right (593 1/3 innings), left (365 1/3) and center (18 1/3).

The Cubs landed Cowles, 24, as part of the trade that sent reliever Mark Leiter Jr. to the Yankees at the Trade Deadline last summer. He hit .286 with nine homers and an .829 OPS at the Double-A level, returning for seven games down the stretch with Tennessee after a right wrist injury cost him six weeks. He then played 19 games in the Arizona Fall League.

“We really like the profile,” Hoyer said at the time of the trade. “He’s had really good offensive success in the Minor Leagues. He’s done everything well -- run the bases well, played good defense in the infield.”