Former top Cubs prospect Brennen Davis was on the verge of a big-league call up a few years ago, but the injuries started to pile up and the outfielder was eventually DFA’d earlier this offseason. Davis, 25, has now reportedly signed a minor league deal with the New York Yankees.
The Yankees and outfielder Brennen Davis have agreed to a minor league deal, sources tell @JustBB_Media. Davis, 25, was regarded as one of the game's best OF prospects before a tough stretch of injuries slowed him over the last few seasons. He OPS'd .828 in 47 AAA games in 2024.
— Aram Leighton (@AramLeighton8) December 24, 2024
Davis was rated as high as No. 15 on MLB Pipeline’s top-100 prospects list heading into the 2022 season. That was after his breakout year in 2021, when Davis ended the season by playing in 15 games at Triple-A as a 21-year-old.
As the Cubs were rebuilding, Davis was at one point considered the team’s next top star, but his body did not cooperate and following two tough years in the minors the Cubs let go of the 2018 second-round draft.
Former top Cubs prospect Brennen Davis has been DFA’d by the club on Tuesday along with the longest tenured player in the organization Adbert Alzolay. Davis, 25, was a second round pick of the Cubs in 2018 out of high school and following a breakout 2021 season the outfielder appeared to be on his way to the majors.
Unfortunately for Davis, the injuries began to pile up, his development hit a wall and in 2024 his season was cut short following a devastating leg injury in September. Maybe the Cubs offer him a minor league deal, but it looks like this is it for Davis and the Cubs for right now.
Brennen Davis was a former top prospect for the Cubs. pic.twitter.com/DUIZYAICA6
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) November 19, 2024
Davis was never able to make it up to the big leagues with the Cubs.
It wasn’t even his back injury that Brennen Davis suffered earlier in 2024 that ended his season. The Cubs minor league outfielder had actually returned from that injury, but earlier this week Davis broke his leg sliding into second base during a game at Triple-A with the Iowa Cubs.
This pretty much does it for Davis, who was already a candidate to be let go in the winter even before this devastating injury.
Here's the latest on Cubs prospect Brennen Davis who was carted off the field and placed on the injured list today.
— Tommy Birch (@TommyBirch) September 11, 2024
The early diagnoses is not good. https://t.co/nAPFDud3yx
Awful news for Davis, who was once the top prospect for the Cubs and one of the best prospects around baseball just a few years ago.
(Previous Update)
Chicago Cubs prospect Brennen has not played since June 11 at Triple-A and on Tuesday we found out why the outfielder has been out of the Iowa Cubs lineup for the past three weeks. The former top prospect in the Cubs minor league system has suffered a back fracture and at this point there is no timetable for Davis’ return in 2024.
Davis, 24, has a brutal track record with injuries and his back has particularly been problematic since 2022. Now, after coming back from a couple surgeries in the last two years, Davis is set to miss more time this year and possibly the rest of the season.
Brennen Davis suffered a back fracture and is expected to miss a significant amount of time. Cubs have no specific timeline for his return.
— Tommy Birch (@TommyBirch) July 2, 2024
The outfielder has played in 44 games at Triple-A this season. He has a slash line of .233/.395/.504, a 134 wRC+ in 172 plate appearances. He got off to a slow start in 2024, but Davis was finally looking like the top-30 prospect that he once was in 2022. From May 10 until his last game on June 11, Davis recorded a 188 wRC+ after slashing .279/.437/.721, with 9 home runs in 87 plate appearances.
Most of that damage came from a ridiculous 8-game stretch in May, when Davis crushed 8 home runs and batted .500 in 24 at-bats.
Davis’ stock was at an all-time high heading into the 2022 season, when several prospect writers thought he could make his MLB debut with the Cubs that summer if he continued his success at Triple-A. Davis had his breakout season in 2021, and was ranked as high as No. 15 on MLB Pipeline’s top-100 prospects list heading into 2022. It’s been a struggle for Davis ever since.
In June 2022, Davis underwent back surgery that sidelined him for a couple of months. Davis had already missed a month of action prior to that surgery. He struggled in 2023 and battle more injuries, including a muscle surgery. Davis only played in 124 games in 2022-23.
Throughout his time with the Cubs, Davis has missed time with a broken finger caused by a HBP, multiple concussions, hamstring issues and problems with his back. The Cubs added Davis the 40-man roster following the 2022 season, but after his latest back injury the future for Davis with this team is uncertain.
This sucks. A guy who was drafted out of high school in the second round, worked to completely change his swing, got better and right when he was on the cusp of the majors an avalanche health issues have followed.
This is a bummer. Great dude, and a great ballplayer too.
— Dylan Heuer (@dylan_heuer) July 2, 2024
Fun fact – he took 3 years of ASL and introduced himself in sign language at the Iowa Baseball Camp for the Deaf when we visited Principal Park last Friday.
Sending him all my best. Get well soon! https://t.co/LnC4aBPVUZ pic.twitter.com/2JehQJ5MLq
The Cubs are going to have some difficult conversations about their roster in the offseason and unfortunately for Brennen Davis, his time with the Cubs could come to an end.
