Chicago Cubs No. 5 Prospect And Outfielder Has Successful Core Surgery

The 23-year-old outfielder, Kevin Alcantara, took to social media following surgery to his core muscles.

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Despite their season being over, the Chicago Cubs have received some good news this week. In addition to seeing multiple players of their own listed as nominees as Golden Glove finalists, one of the young future stars shared a post-surgery update on Thursday.

Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network was one of the first to report on Alcantara's core muscle surgery on Thursday. The Cubs right fielder took to his Instagram account, appearing in good spirits after an operation to remove a sports hernia. Shortstop Dansby Swanson had core muscle surgery recently, too.

Kevin Alcántara underwent successful surgery to repair a sports hernia, a source confirmed.

He posted this to his Instagram story https://t.co/iAoQlwLiXt: pic.twitter.com/3ZILyPNltY

— Maddie Lee (@maddie_m_lee) October 16, 2025

Cubs team president Jed Hoyer commented to the media this week regarding players and their current status now that Chicago's 2025 MLB season has wrapped up. "We have a medical meeting [today], actually, so I’ll have a better feel for that," said Hoyer.

Hoyer also added that "[Swanson and Hoerner’s] were pretty high profile, and I sort of knew about those at this point, so I don’t expect anything quite that high profile, but there may well be some surgeries that come out of it, or recommended surgeries or second opinions... We can get you that information later."

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Why Alcantara's surgery is a big deal for the Cubs

Though the young outfielder played most of the season with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs, Alcantara showed some pop as he recorded his first and only RBI in MLB. His run was a part of a 12-1 blowout at Wrigley Field in a weekend series opener against NL Central rival the St. Louis Cardinals.

In seven games for Chicago this year, Alcantara had four hits in 11 at-bats, good for a .364 batting average. The native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic also posted a 0.780 on-base percentage.

Kevin Alcántara drives in Moisés Ballesteros 😤 pic.twitter.com/zJ6Wwcce28

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) September 26, 2025

One of the Cubs' players in right field may not be with the team in 2026. Former Houston Astros and veteran outfielder Kyle Tucker is not only a free agent now, but he will be fairly expensive for Chicago if he returns.

Seiya Suzuki is another right fielder, but he is on the wrong side of 30. Suzuki and Cubs left fielder Ian Happ are both 31 years old. Alcantara is just 23.

Oct 9, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs right fielder Kyle Tucker (30) reacts after hitting a home run against the Milwaukee Brewers during the seventh inning for game four of the NLDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

A pair of other young players, Owen Caissie and Moises Ballesteros, were also vying for playing time and at-bats during the 2025 MLB season. The trio of outfielders was forced to remain with Triple-A Iowa unless injuries, like the one to Tucker, plagued the team down the stretch.

Alcantara was the better hitter of the three Cubs players. His batting average was higher than Ballesteros (.298) and Caissie's (.191) this season.

Should an opening come about in Chicago's outfield during free agency, Alcantara's name will be called upon. Thus, it's a good thing he is predicted to be healthy before the start of next season.

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