Kevin Alcántara is going back down to Triple-A as his disappointing 2026 season continues with the Chicago Cubs. The outfielder’s value has diminished so much that Alcántara isn’t even mentioned as a headliner for any notable pitching target at the trade deadline.
The Cubs are reportedly calling up James Triantos, and according to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers, Alcántara is the odd man out on the 26-man active roster. Yes, it’s not like the Cubs gave Alcántara much playing time, but when he’s had the opportunity to play, he’s looked completely outmatched against MLB pitching. There have also been base-running issues, which were already an issue for him, and even in a good defensive play earlier this week, there was some scorn thrown his way.
Bad situational awareness from Alcántara following the great sliding catch.
I’m not going to completely say that he’ll never hit MLB pitching, but in terms of the 2026 season, Alcántara hasn’t done himself any favors with his work at the dish. Only 4-for-20, with nine strikeouts and one walk. No extra-base hits, not making much hard contact, and his 68% contact rate on pitches thrown in the strike zone is about 20% worse than the league average.
🔥 Subscribe to the Untold Chicago YouTube channel to hear Chicago legends tell stories you’ve never seen in headlines — real moments, real experiences, straight from the athletes themselves.
Alcántara is still putting up great numbers at Triple-A, posting a slash line of .273/.367/.569 with 17 home runs in 55 games. However, he’s also striking out 31% of the time. That’s the huge concern, and in his brief playing time in the majors, the strikeouts remain a problem for Alcántara.
So, in a season in which Alcántara had the opportunity to take a big step forward in his development, he’s really only hurt his value. Bad for him individually and bad for the Cubs, who at this point can’t really talk him up in trade discussions either.
Following the 2026 season, Alcántara will no longer have minor league options. So, if he sticks with the Cubs, he’ll have to be on the active roster from the start in 2027. At this point, he should at the very least compete for a bench spot next season, but by now you would have hoped that Alcántara would have made bigger strides and established himself as a major leaguer.
