Cubs option Kevin Alcántara to Triple-A

Swanson left Sunday’s game with an oblique injury. Pedro Ramírez will likely become the Cubs’ primary second baseman while Swanson is out, with Nico Hoerner moving to shortstop. Kevin Alcántara could rejoin the team as a bench player until Matt Shaw is ready to come off the IL.

Alcántara remains without a clear avenue to regular at-bats with the Cubs, but they’re seemingly going to carry him as a bench bat for the final two months. The 24-year-old top prospect has posted some impressive power numbers at the Triple-A level this season, but it hasn’t carried over in limited chances at the highest level. He’s a fascinating talent, but there’s no path to fantasy relevance in such a limited role.

Alcántara was called up in late June and drew playing time in just seven games, only four of which he actually started, while hitting .273/.273/.273 in 11 plate appearances. He’ll try to get back on track in Iowa, as one does.

Alcántara returns to Chicago’s outfield mix with Matt Shaw hitting the injured list with a hand issue. The 23-year-old top prospect went just 1-for-9 during a 10-game stint with the Cubs earlier this year. He’s put up some impressive power numbers at the Triple-A level with 17 round-trippers in 55 games this season. He’s unlikely to play enough to make a realistic impact, but he’s the type of talent that fantasy managers should be closely monitoring on the chance that everything comes together.

Alcántara went 1-for-10 at the dish during a 12-game stint with the Cubs. The 23-year-old top prospect heads back to the minors to wait for another opportunity at the highest level.

Alcántara will head back to the minors with Matt Shaw coming off the injured list for Tuesday’s series opener against the Rockies. The 23-year-old top prospect entered Sunday’s series finale against the Giants as a pinch-runner and made a costly baserunning mistake, getting hung up between third base and home plate, which resulted in a double play. He figures to get another shot with the Cubs later this summer based on his impressive power numbers at the Triple-A level this year.

Ballesteros, who is hitting .105 (4-for-38) with one RBI over his last 15 games, sits for the third consecutive contest and fourth time in Chicago’s last five games. Pedro Ramírez gets into the lineup at the hot corner with Alex Bregman taking a turn at DH after Kevin Alcánatara drew back-to-back starts at DH earlier this week.

Lefties are hitting .336/.416/.555 against Kyle Leahy, but the Cubs still couldn’t find any room for the switch-hitting Ramírez today. Michael Conforto is on the bench, too, as the Cubs are starting Moisés Ballesteros at DH rather than give up some defense by having him catch. Ramirez has started two of the Cubs’ nine games since being recalled last week, but that’s still better than Kevin Alcántara; he’s yet to get a start in eight games with the team.

It qualifies as a notable development that the Cubs are sticking with Ballesteros at DH while he continues to scuffle at the dish, instead of giving top prospects like Pedro Ramírez or Kevin Alcántara an opportunity. The 22-year-old slugging backstop is hitting .077 (3-for-39) over his last 15 games. He was outstanding in the first month of the season, but he’s clearly struggling at the dish right now. It feels like only a matter of time before Chicago gives Ramírez or Alcántara a look.

Alcántara is the type of high-variance power hitter who’s easy to dream on developing into an impactful fantasy contributor someday. He’s made a concerted effort to lift and pull the ball this season, resulting in an International League–leading 15 home runs in 41 games. That approach has also come with a hefty 33.3 percent strikeout rate. Alcántara’s contact profile is concerning, but his over-the-fence power is real. The 23-year-old top prospect, who has gotten into 13 games for Chicago over the last two years, is the type of streaky power hitter that is both exhilarating and frustrating to roster in fantasy leagues. He’s worthy of a speculative roster spot in deeper mixed leagues.