Cubs outfielder Owen Caissie has been shut down, per manager Craig Counsell, as relayed by Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times. The outfield prospect is battling left groin tightness. Lee mentions that Caissie underwent offseason core muscle surgery, though it’s unclear if his current issue is related to that procedure.
Caissie, 22, is on the 40-man roster but was unlikely to earn an Opening Day roster spot. That’s more to do with the overall roster picture than anything about Caissie in a vacuum. He’s a top 100 prospect who hit .278/.375/.472 for a 121 wRC+ in 127 Triple-A games last year. He was added to the 40-man in November to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft.
The Cubs’ big league outfield is slated to be crowded, with Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker in three spots. Seiya Suzuki will likely be in the designated hitter spot with regularity but could tag in for those others on occasion. Alexander Canario was designated for assignment earlier today but Jon Berti and Vidal Bruján are likely to be on the bench in utility roles.
Tucker is slated for free agency after this season and both Happ and Suzuki will hit the open market the following winter. That should open more long-term playing time but Caissie and fellow outfield prospect Kevin Alcántara appear slated for more Triple-A work in 2025, at least to start the year. Alcántara has just one option year remaining, perhaps giving him a slight edge in terms of earning a major league chance if an injury opens up some big league playing time. For as long as Caissie is shut down, the Cubs will have a bit less outfield depth but shouldn’t be in trouble unless a few more injuries pop up in the outfield mix.
Turning to the pitching staff, it was revealed last week that right-hander Javier Assad was out with some oblique soreness. That was later diagnosed as a mild strain, per Lee last week. Counsell relayed today that Assad has resumed playing catch.
That hopefully indicates that Assad is more or less on schedule, as he projects to be in the Opening Day rotation as long as he avoids the injured list. He will slot in at the back of a starting mix that includes Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele, Matthew Boyd and Jameson Taillon. If Assad were out of action, then perhaps swingman Colin Rea would step up. But that may not be necessary, allowing Rea to serve as a long reliever out of the bullpen. Assad has a 3.40 earned run average in 294 innings for the Cubs over the past three years, mostly as a starter.
On the infield, Counsell says Matt Shaw has been hitting in the cage and throwing. Like Assad, he had been slowed by an oblique issue but it appears both are making progress. Assuming Shaw stays healthy for the next few weeks, he’s the favorite to earn the third base job out of camp. However, the Cubs have been clear that he will have to earn the job and it won’t just be handed to him.
He will therefore have to be healthy enough to get on the field in the next few weeks and show the Cubs he’s worthy of the gig. The timeline is a little tighter than some other teams, as the Dodgers and Cubs are heading to Japan soon for the Tokyo Series. Those two clubs will be playing exhibition games against Japanese clubs on March 15th and 16th, before playing regular season contests against each other on March 18th and 19th.
Shaw slashed .284/.379/.488 for a wRC+ of 146 between Double-A and Triple-A last year. If he doesn’t secure the job out of camp, then some combination of Berti, Bruján, Justin Turner and Rule 5 pick Gage Workman would likely be the fallback options. Nicky Lopez and Dixon Machado are non-roster invitees with some big league experience in camp.
Gage Workman appears to have better numbers than Shaw. Why aren’t we hearing more about him? Liability in the field? I’d rather see either over Turner at third.
He’s also three years older than Shaw.
Workman and Shaw had similar offensive numbers in AA, but Shaw is two years younger, a first rounder, did just as well in AAA where Workman has never played, doesn’t strike out as much, is the Cubs #1 prospect and Top 100 in MLB.
Workman is a terrific fielder, but he strikes out too much.
Workman also has speed. Something that’s a real plus for the position he plays. The real test will be the bat. Glove and wheels appear to be good.
And he leads the Cubs in spring training game home runs!
Yes, Workman looked good yesterday. Not necessarily the HR, but I thought his opposite field hit in his first AB was a nice piece of hitting.
I’d rather they give the backup IF job to Workmen over Bruján, but that might depend on other backup factors.
Damn that was supposed to be the return us Padre fans would be lucky to get for Cease.
Speedy recovery to all and hopefully one day Assad deals for the Padres.
Workman is a fringe level player – doesn’t even compare to Shaw – this is cubs as usual – letting a young player go for retreads like Berti and brujan who can’t hit – what a joke and old man turner
Turner put up a 117 wRC+ last year and his best month came in September.
Try to not be ignorant next time.
The Cubs are looking at needs right now. They need established major league players to support 3 players that are not established. PCA, Shaw and Busch.
You don’t want to back up these kids with players that have no track record of success.
That said I would want to scrap Brujan and sign Canha. Spend the cash for a player that can move over the diamond. Cubs are at 215M so they need to upgrade vs depend on AAAA scabs.
I think the Cubs need to add to that starting rotation. Sooner rather than later. Like a solid #2 or #3. I don’t trust Taillon.
Ig—you are dead on. There were three things on my Cubs offseason hope list.
1. Get an impact bat (check)
2. Get someone that makes Taillon the #4 (still waiting)
3. Improve the pen (pretty sure this is a check with some combination of talent and depth)
I see that in July. It is a reach to think that Taillon repeats. Expecting Brown to put up TOR production consistently and Byrd to take his game to TOR levels.
If it happens great.
Assad should never pitch on a contender. He struggles to get 5 innings under 90 pitches due to a pure lack of command of the strike zone.
That means he fishes for strikes vs attacking the plate and that is due to his stuff being not up to standards
He greatly benefited from poor hitting conditions at home. That will not happen again and he will blow up into a 5 ERA Looking for a new gig right after the wind starts blowing out in mid May
He will have the same hitting conditions at home and he was even better than before. Your argument doesn’t hold water. He’s been consistent for three years, so I say let him ride until he proves otherwise. The only argument against Assad on this thread that made sense is him not going long in games. I’m hoping Ben Brown picks up where he left off and is a number three.
I had the Brewers and the Reds ahead of the Cubs in the NL Central, but the Justin Turner signing makes them a lot more competitive. He hedges third and first and is an excellent contact hitter.
I still like the Brewers and the Reds to outplay the Cubs this season but it could break their way.