Cubs call up top prospect Owen Caissie for MLB debut vs. Blue Jays Thursday
Caissie was part of the return in the 2020 Yu Darvish trade
By
Dayn Perry
•
1 min read
The Chicago Cubs have called up outfield prospect Owen Caissie on Thursday, the team announced. He'll bat fifth and DH against the Blue Jays.
Caissie, 23, is a native of Canada and a former second-rounder whom the Cubs acquired from the Padres as part of the December 2020 seven-player trade that sent right-handed starter Yu Darvish to San Diego. In his second tour of Triple-A this season, Caissie has slashed .292/.393/.573 in 92 games for Iowa with 22 home runs, 26 doubles, and 53 unintentional walks. For his minor-league career, Caissie has an OPS of .875 across parts of five seasons. In 2025, he's spent most of his time in right field.
Back in February, CBS Sports ranked Caissie as the No. 3 prospect in the Cubs system. Here's part of R.J. Anderson's write-up:
Caissie has long intrigued evaluators with his ability to make hard contact. More than 42% of his balls in play last season were clocked over 95 mph, and he twice cleared the 115 mph threshold. (For reference, fewer than 30 qualified MLB batters did it even once in 2024.) The reason Caissie hasn't found himself higher on these lists is because of his strikeout tendencies. To wit, his 28.4% K rate last season represented a new career best. Caissie remains prone to expanding the zone, and pitchers can get him to whiff both within the zone and on secondary pitches. His combination of pure upside and youth (he won't celebrate his 23rd birthday until after Independence Day) make him worth monitoring, as any gains could turn him into a middle-of-the-order force.
The Cubs enter Thursday's game against the Blue Jays with a 68-51 record. That's good for second place in the National League Central, four games behind the first-place Brewers. The Cubs, however, do hold the top wild card spot in the NL.
