Cubs Manager Reveals Playing Time Plan For No. 5 Prospect

The calendar flipping to September means MLB rosters expanded from 26 to 28 for the remainder of the season.

For the Chicago Cubs, one of those two additions was their No. 5 prospect, outfielder Kevin Alcántara.

Alcántara’s promotion brings him to the major leagues as a September call-up for the second consecutive season. This time, though, he may be a part of helping Chicago reach the postseason for the first time since 2020.

According to Cubs manager Craig Counsell via Marquee Sports’ Bruce Levine, Alcántara will be the starting centerfielder for Chicago against select left-handed pitching.

“Craig Counsell intimated that Kevin Alcantara will play CF against certain LHP. Alcantara is considered a well above average defender,” Levine wrote via a post from his X account.

Alcántara went just 1-for-10 in his limited playing time with the major league team last season, but it is his season long minor league numbers that Chicago is excited about, especially against left-handed pitching.

Alcántara’s absurd slash line of .319/.394/.604 against lefties with six home runs and a .998 OPS makes him a much more viable option than current center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong. That gaudy slash line is almost solely responsible for Alcántara being the September call-up over top outfield prospect Owen Caissie.

Chicago is slated to face Atlanta left-hander Joey Wentz on Tuesday, so it will be interesting to see if Wentz fits into the “certain left-hander” category that Alcántara is set to play against. If so, it will be his first major league at-bat since Sept. 29 of last season.

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