Kevin

Alcantara

There simply isn’t a spot of Alcántara on Chicago’s season-opening roster, even with Seiya Suzuki (knee) heading to the injured list. The 23-year-old prospect offers an intriguing power/speed blend, but he’s been incredibly streaky at the highest level, which has made it tough for him to carve out a permanent role. He could wind up getting another shot if the whole Matt Shaw outfield experiment winds up backfiring.

After singling twice off Merrill Kelly, Alcantara hit a 422-foot homer off Kade Strowd in the eighth. He’s batting .355/.412/.516 in 34 plate appearances after getting off to a slightly late start as he completed his recovery from hernia surgery. If Seiya Suzuki winds up on the IL, there’s the chance he could make the team, but it might still be a long shot even in that case. Maybe he’ll have a better chance in May or June if Matt Shaw, who committed two errors in right today, isn’t working out as a backup outfielder.

Alcántara was a DH today. He’s a little behind after surgery in October to repair a sports hernia, but he should be fine for the start of the regular season. Since he was saddled with a fourth option year over the winter, he’s likely to return to Triple-A Iowa, where he hit .266/.349/.470 with 17 homers last year.

Alcantara should be ready to go in the spring. The Cubs used up their third option year on Alcantara this season, but they’ll probably be awarded a fourth since he received only very limited action prior to 2022. If Kyle Tucker walks, the Cubs could leave a lineup spot open for Alcantara, Owen Caissie and Moisés Ballesteros to battle for in the spring. Alcantara would likely be the underdog there, though.

Alcántara returns to Chicago’s outfield mix with fellow top prospect Owen Caissie landing on the concussion injured list. The 23-year-old went went 1-for-6 in three games earlier this month for the Cubs.

Chicago has decided to bring up fellow top prospect Owen Caissie instead of keeping Alcántara in a reserve role for the final two weeks of the season. The 23-year-old went 1-for-6 at the dish in three games. He hasn’t gotten into a game since last weekend.

It’s a bit surprising to see Ballesteros get the nod over Owen Caissie to replace an injured Kyle Tucker (calf) on Chicago’s roster, but they’re apparently content to roll with Kevin Alcántara having an increased role for at least the next week. The 21-year-old backstop has put up some impressive numbers in the upper minors but he’s going to have a hard time carving out a full-time role with the Cubs due to his defensive limitations.

Crow-Armstrong, who was dropped to seventh in the lineup for Monday’s series opener, takes a seat with underwhelming lefty Joey Wentz taking the ball for Atlanta in this one. It’ll be rookie Kevin Alcántara in center field. Michael Busch is also on the bench in favor of veteran Justin Turner. Chicago has the depth to mix-and-match and they appear poised to have both Crow-Armstrong and Busch sit against southpaws down the home stretch.

Alcántara appeared in three games for the Cubs last season, but this is his first time up in 2025. The 23-year-old hit .266/.349/.470 with 17 homers and 10 steals in 430 plate appearances for Iowa. He’ll play sparingly unless an outfielder gets hurt.

There simply isn’t a spot for Alcántara in Chicago with Kyle Tucker, Ian Happ and Pete Crow-Armstrong locked into starting roles and Seiya Suzuki handling DH duty. The 22-year-old top prospect sipped a quick cup of coffee in the big leagues last year and should get an extended opportunity at some point in the near future after some additional seasoning at the Triple-A level.