The Chicago Cubs already called up one of their hot prospects before Friday’s game in Pedro Ramirez, and it sounds like they’ll be calling up another in slugging outfielder Kevin Alcántara.
Following the 4-2 loss to the Houston Astros, Cubs manager Craig Counsell admitted that it was finally time to make changes in the lineup. The team put up another lackluster performance, only collecting four hits, while going 0-for-9 hitting with runners in scoring position, and leaving 11 men on base.
The offensive issues have lasted for two straight weeks, and it’s been a storyline all season, as Counsell had already shaken things up after a slow couple of weeks to begin the year. Now, the middle of the batting order is getting much more attention for it’s lack of hitting as Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki have both been in awful slumps during the team’s current 2-10 stretch.
Entering Friday’s series opener against the Astros, Happ was hitting .108/.267/.189, while Suzuki wasn’t much better at .190/.261/.214. Both corner outfielders have also been in the fourth and fifth spots in the starting lineup, which has presented them with plenty of chances to drive in runs. Unfortunately, they haven’t gotten the job done to a laughable extent.
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So, after Friday’s game, Counsell told the media that it is indeed time to shake things up, but that may be more than simply switching names in the batting order. Bleacher Nation’s Michael Cerami hinted at the team calling up their top outfield prospect.
Alcántara, 23, has been mashing the ball at Triple-A to begin the 2026 season. The right-handed hitter already has 15 home runs through 41 games this year after hitting 17 home runs in 102 games with the Iowa Cubs all of last year.
Yet, even as Alcántara was showing off more power than before earlier this season, the strikeout concerns remained. He had a 37.0 K% through the month of April, hitting only .221 in his first 108 plate appearances. However, the young outfielder has shown significant improvement in his plate discipline over the past month, which is definitely encouraging.
You would certainly hope that if the Cubs are calling up Alcántara, it’s because he’s actually going to be starting. Ramirez was called up for Matt Shaw, who was backing up this year, so it’s not like the infielder was brought up to be immediately plugged into a starting role. And it’s not like we should expect Alcántara to suddenly start every day either, but he can certainly give guys a breather who are currently struggling, while also having the ability to play in center field to give Pete Crow-Armstrong a mini break if he needs it.
We’ll see if the Cubs do indeed call up Alcántara, but this seems like a good time to do it. The team has hit a wall, and a boost of energy can’t hurt right now.
