The Chicago Cubs were desperate to turn things around. Then they called up their top prospect, 23-year-old slugging outfielder Owen Caissie, ranked No. 45 overall on MLB Pipeline. But unfortunately, he went 0-for-4 in his debut against the Blue Jays in a 2-1 loss. After that debut, he warmed the bench for two straight games. It raised a simple question: why call him up just to sit him down?
Cubs manager Craig Counsell recently addressed the same growing confusion. “In Toronto, I stated very clearly — we’ve got a pretty good group of outfielders here, and Owen’s got to cross that bar,” Counsell said. “We’re going to play the best guys every day.” He laid out his simple philosophy for a team that went from a one-game lead in the NL Central on July 19 to eight games behind the division leader, the Milwaukee Brewers, by August 18.
“We’re gonna play the best guys everyday. Owen will be involved tomorrow.”
Craig Counsell on today’s lineup. pic.twitter.com/S0Vu6Za36Y
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) August 17, 2025
But the Cubs skipper also gave frustrated fans an answer. He confirmed the rookie doesn’t have to be out of the lineup for long. “Owen will be involved tomorrow,” Counsell announced. “And this is why we wrestled with calling him up at times, because of the group of outfielders we have.” That means Caissie will get his chance in the very next game, which happens to be against the Brewers.
Before explaining the outfield logjam, just understand what makes this 23-year-old rookie so special. Caissie absolutely dominated the Minors with 81 home runs and a .873 OPS across 499 games. And just as a reminder, he was the main prospect the Cubs received in the blockbuster Yu Darvish trade. Even just before his call-up, he had a .955 OPS with 22 home runs in Triple-A.
It’s easy to understand why there was so hype around him. But this brings us again to the main point: the outfield is already jammed.
The All-Star logjam on the Cubs
Under normal circumstances, a rookie would have no chance of cracking this lineup. The Cubs’ outfield is loaded with former All-Star Ian Happ (LF), run producers like Kyle Tucker (RF) and Seiya Suzuki (DH), and an MVP candidate like center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong.
Tucker, Crow-Armstrong, and Suzuki together have 72 home runs and 227 RBI for this season. But since the All-Star break, that high bar has dropped notably. The Tucker, Crow-Armstrong, and Suzuki trio entered Sunday with a combined .652 OPS, 23 RBI, and, most shockingly, just 5 homers. This was the reason fans were baffled by the decision to bench Caissie.
Then comes Ian Happ’s recent form with a slash line of .225/.324/.383 and .707 OPS. On the surface, Happ is struggling with a .225 batting average. But the manager pointed, “Ian’s had some bad luck this year. You can check that. He’s swung the bat really, pretty darn well.” Numbers back this argument. Happ’s expected batting average is .261 entering Sunday, almost 40 points higher. And for the full story, his strikeout rate is down and his walk rate is up from last year, as per Marquee Sports Network.
This entire argument is happening when the Cubs currently hold the top Wild Card spot in the NL. In this tense playoff chase, do you sit players who are already proven and have just had some tough luck for a player with only five major league plate appearances?
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