Owen Caissie has been a gleam in the Chicago Cubs’ eyes for a long time. He continues to rip right through the minor leagues, making his debut in MLB inevitable. However, the Cubs won’t be so quick to pull the trigger. The circumstances need to be right.
Caissie came to the Cubs by way of a December 2020 trade that sent starting pitcher Yu Darvish to the San Diego Padres. Now in his fourth year in the Cubs’ system, Caissie has the promise and skillset to become a fan-favorite in Chicago quickly. He just needs to get there.
The right fielder is currently on a tear with AAA Iowa. In 111 games, Caissie is batting .278 with an OPS of .871 and 15 home runs. Baseball America named him as the Cubs prospect they would most like to see be called up in September. They believe Caissie could be a power-bat off the bench for the Cubs as they make a late push for playoff contention.
Owen Caissie is still in consideration to be called up by the Cubs, says President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer. But they will not be pushy about the matter. It’s circumstantial, and the timing needs to make sense.
Chicago Cubs President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer joined 670 The Score on Tuesday morning and addressed the possibility of Owen Caissie coming up to the majors before the season’s end. Hoyer left the door open to the possibility. However, he ruled out the possibility of being a role player off the bench.
If the Cubs are going to bring Caissie up in 2024, it would be for an opportunity to play every day. The Cubs are overflowing with players who can play the outfield daily – for that matter. Cody Bellinger is healthy, but they dare not remove Pete Crow-Armstrong from the lineup. He’s been one of their primary sources of offense.
As it stands, Bellinger has been on the right, with PCA in the center and Ian Happ on the left. Instead of playing the field, Seiya Suzuki has been mostly used as a designated hitter. Bellinger sometimes plays first in the event of an off day for Michael Busch. When that happens, Suzuki usually returns to right field.
The Cubs also have Mike Tauchman and Patrick Wisdom on their bench. Both players can also play in the outfield as needed. Their roles are reserved, though. They are mainly on the bench.
It would take one of three scenarios for Owen Caissie to come up to the Cubs. More than one injury would have to happen to give Caissie the playing time. The Cubs would need to be eliminated from playoff contention with an understanding they want to “let the kids play.” Or Owen Caissie would have to hit an obscene amount of home runs in a few days.
Nothing is impossible. However, a call-up seems unlikely in 2024.
