Alexander Canario was playing in the Dominican Winter League after breaking out in the Cubs minor league system during the 2022 season and in a blink of an eye the 22-year-old outfielder was on the ground after a freak injury that eventually led to two separate surgeries to repair his shoulder and ankle.
Now, Canario is once again tearing up Triple-A and despite not returning to game action until June 15, Canario has become a legit option to be called up by the Cubs in September.
On Thursday night, Canario went 4-for-5, with 2 home runs and 2 doubles. The 23-year-old has now homered in three straight games and he’s crushed 6 home runs in his last 9 games. Oh yeah, Alexander Canario is all the way back and it is so awesome to see after the devastating injuries he suffered last October.
In 2022, Canario started the season with the South Bend Cubs at Advanced A-Ball. He was promoted to Double-A in May and then made it up to the Iowa Cubs at Triple-A in late August. The right-handed slugger hit 37 home runs in 125 games across his three minor league stops, while slashing .252/.343/.556, adding 23 stolen bases to his stat sheet.
Following a long rehab from his shoulder and ankle surgeries in the offseason, Canario returned to action in the Arizona Complex League in the middle of June and then he played for South Bend for a couple of weeks before making his return to Triple-A following the All-Star break.
It took Canario a couple of weeks to settle in, as he only posted a slash line of .220/.316/.320, with just one home run in his first 13 games back with Iowa. However, ever since the calendar flipped to August, Canario has locked back in and looks like the monster hitter he was in 2022.
Alexander Canario in August
18 Games, 83 PA, .347/.398/.733, 1.131 OPS, 169 wRC+
26-for-75, 7 HR, 25 RBI, 16 R, 8 2B, 2 SB
31.3 K%, 8.4 BB%
His current hot steak goes back to Aug. 12, and in his last nine games Canario has a slash line of .410/.429/1.000, with the six home runs.
Canario is already on the Cubs 40-man roster, and has the ability to play all three outfield positions. A lot of attention has gone to Pete Crow-Armstrong and deservedly so, as he’s ascended to the top of the Cubs minor league system, but you shouldn’t rule out the possibility of Canario getting a shot in September.
When Canario gets into one, it’s a work of art.
Canario is back on the radar and at the very least he’s making sure that the Cubs view him as a useful player for 2024.
