Breakout Cubs Prospects You Need to Know: Josiah Hartshorn, Owen Ayers, More

Things may be looking bleak at the moment for the Chicago Cubs at the big-league level, but a few pleasant surprises down in the minors are piquing the interest of fans and the media alike.

To put things in perspective, the MLB Pipeline ranked the Cubs' farm system at No. 23 ahead of the 2026 season. At the time, Moisés Ballesteros (who has since graduated from prospect status) was the Cubs' top prospect and MLB's No. 55 overall. Right-handed pitcher Jaxon Wiggins checked in at No. 58.

It was a pretty steep drop-off from mid-2025 (No. 19), preseason 2025 (No. 8), and preseason 2024 (No. 2).

MLB's current top-100 list includes Jefferson Rojas (No. 80), Pedro Ramirez (No. 82) and Wiggins (No. 85).

Cubs fans are far more familiar with Ramirez now. He's enjoyed a month-long first stint in MLB, where he's hit .257 with a home run and nine RBI and just three strikeouts to three walks since his debut on May 23.

There's been a lot of turnover in the Cubs' farm system, which often happens when a team exits rebuilding mode and becomes a playoff contender. Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cade Horton, Michael Busch, and Matt Shaw were all top-100 prospects ahead of the 2024 season.

The Cubs also traded Owen Caissie, their No. 3 prospect in 2025, to the Miami Marlins in the offseason for Edward Cabrera.

In a sense, the Cubs are now rebuilding their farm — but there are a few young players who stormed on the scene this year and are showing no signs of slowing down.

Let's take a look some of the names rising up the ranks this season!

Josiah Hartshorn, OF/1B | Cubs: No. 7 | MLB: Not Ranked

Mar 24, 2026; Mesa, Arizona, USA; Chicago Cubs first baseman Josiah Hartshorn against the New York Yankees during spring training at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Current team: South Bend Cubs (A+)
MLB ETA: 2029

Josiah Hartshorn may not yet be in MLB Pipeline's Top 100, but he undoubtedly will be very soon. And that's because the 19-year-old has been virtually unstoppable at the plate in his first full pro season!

Josiah Hartshorn (CHC) is on the fast-track to prospect stardom!

The 2025 Cubs 6th round pick has taken his promotion to Hi-A in stride, reaching base in all 18 games and smacking 8 HR. His season OPS now sits at 1.025 across 57 games

He is one of the best prospects in baseball pic.twitter.com/XBmhZS5Led
— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) June 15, 2026

The Cubs' 2025 sixth-round draft pick is a switch-hitter slashing .316/.436/.578 with a 1.014 OPS, 13 home runs and 53 RBI across 58 games in both Single-A Myrtle Beach and High-A South Bend.

Hartshorn was promoted to High-A after only 39 games, and he has somehow been even better since he took the step up. Over 19 games with the South Bend Cubs, Hartshorn is hitting .403 with a 1.284 OPS, eight home runs and 28 RBI.

Baseball analyst Thomas Nestico of TJStats ranked Hartshorn at No. 28 in his June 2026 Top 100 list, shooting up 67 places from his last ranking.

"[He] looks advanced beyond his years, employing a selective approach in addition to flashing an above-average hit tool. This is apparent through his excellent strikeout-to-walk ratio in addition to his strong contact rates," wrote Nestico. "He has one of the most polished approaches of any teenage prospect with both the bat-to-ball skills and enticing power to further lift his offensive ceiling."

Because of his age, MLB doesn't expect Hartshorn to reach MLB before 2029. But right now, he's looking like a future Cubs star, and that ETA could very well change if he continues this kind of production at each step in the organization.

Owen Ayers, C | Cubs: No. 9 | MLB: Not Ranked

Smokies catcher Owen Ayers (6) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during a minor league baseball game between the Knoxville Smokies and Birmingham Barons at Covenant Health Park in Knoxville, Tennessee., on May 7, 2026. | Angelina Alcantar/ News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Current team: Knoxville Smokies (AA)
MLB ETA: 2027

Owen Ayers is finally blossoming in his third year in the Cubs organization.

The Cubs drafted the 25-year-old in the 19th round in 2024 out of Marshall University, but he slashed just .238/.341/.420 (.761 OPS) in his first full season with Single-A Myrtle Beach last year. A broken hand last July sidelined him for months, but he's begun 2026 with two consecutive promotions and looks to be settling in very nicely.

Across his stints with High-A South Bend and Double-A Knoxville this year, Ayers put up a .326/.438/.679 (1.117 OPS) slash line. He is hitting .313 with 11 home runs, 36 RBI, and a 1.053 OPS since his promotion to Knoxville.

Stay hot, kid 🌶️

Cubs No. 17 prospect Owen Ayers headlines this week's MLB Prospect Hot Sheet. Read more:https://t.co/Q6CrFyP0Qk pic.twitter.com/7VUVp8et29
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) June 15, 2026

Ayers has been even hotter in June: In 14 games, he's 28-for-53 (.528) with a 1.571 OPS. Among that hot streak was a stretch of 10 consecutive multi-hit games for Ayers — landing him in a group of just five other minor-league players (since MiLB stats became available in 2007) who have ever put together such a streak.

"We need to pay attention to Ayers’ real and tangible improvements. The defensive strides he’s made as a catcher, for example, give him a big leg up over most of his breakout contemporaries," wrote Baseball America's J.J. Cooper of Ayers.

Considering Ayers' age and experience, a promotion to Triple-A before the end of the season seems quite realistic.

Jefferson Rojas, SS | Cubs No. 1 | MLB No. 80

Mar 20, 2026; Mesa, Arizona, USA; Chicago Cubs shortstop Jefferson Rojas (93) looks for the ball against the Cincinnati Reds in the third inning at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Current team: Knoxville Smokies (AA)
MLB ETA: 2027

Rojas recently became the Cubs' No. 1 prospect, and it has coincided with his best pro season thus far.

The 21-year-old shortstop, like his teammate Ayers, is having a scorching June, going 25-for-59 (.424) with a 1.165 OPS, four home runs and 15 RBI. He's slashing .299/.366/.507 (.873 OPS) with 10 home runs, 38 RBI and nine stolen bases on the season as a whole.

At just 21 years old, Jefferson Rojas is hitting his stride at Double-A.

The #Cubs' top prospect (MLB No. 80) has multiple hits in a majority of his games this month after another big performance on Friday: https://t.co/JX1JfKQEJz pic.twitter.com/cuHnkJUKr7
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 13, 2026

Rojas originally signed with the Cubs out of the Dominican Republic for $1 million in January 2022, and he's looking to be worth every penny. Could he make the leap to Triple-A soon, too?

Kane Kepley, OF | Cubs: No. 5 | MLB: Not Ranked

Mar 13, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Chicago Cubs outfielder Kane Kepley against the Chicago White Sox during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Current team: South Bend (A+)
MLB ETA: 2028

Another member of the 2025 draft class, Cubs second-rounder Kane Kepley has been a very intriguing addition to the organization.

Despite a June slump that's seen him hit just .195, Kepley possesses incredible skills both to get on base and on the basepaths. The 22-year-old's .442 OBP is sixth-best in the Midwest League and his 33 stolen bases are second-most. He's been caught stealing just twice this season and is 49-of-55 (89%) on stolen base attempts in his two pro seasons.

An on-base machine, Kepley repeatedly makes quality swing decisions and almost never swings and misses, especially against strikes and fastballs. He has a relatively flat left-handed swing geared for contact and hits balls where they're pitched, using the entire field," writes MLB Pipeline's scouting report of Kepley.

The Injured Bunch

There are two prospects notably missing from this check-in, and that's because they're currently sidelined.

The first is the aforementioned Wiggins, the Cubs' top pitching prospect, their No. 3 overall and MLB's No. 85. Wiggins is dealing with elbow inflammation, which is why he's only pitched 10 MiLB innings in 2026. He allowed five earned runs over eight innings with Triple-A Iowa, his most recent appearance coming on April 4.

Wiggins made a rehab assignment in the Arizona Complex League on June 15, where he allowed an earned run on two hits over two innings.

Knoxville Smokies pitcher Jaxon Wiggins (41) pitches during a minor league baseball game between the Knoxville Smokies and Chattanooga Lookouts at Covenant Health Park in Knoxville, Tenn., on June 3, 2025. | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The other is the Cubs' first-rounder in the 2025 draft, outfielder Ethan Conrad.

Conrad, the Cubs' No. 4 prospect, has yet to play a minor-league game. He dislocated his left shoulder and required surgery in March 2025 with Wake Forest, and then this offseason, a back injury has kept him away from action.

OF Ethan Conrad, Cubs ‘25 1st-rd pick, has been slowed by back issue since ST but Hoyer said he's working way back & hopefully by end of June can start getting into games

"Hopefully in a perfect world he has a healthy 2nd half & that can really kick off his minor-league career."
— Meghan Montemurro (@MegMontemurro) June 17, 2026

But Jed Hoyer told reporters on Tuesday that Conrad is ramping up his activity and will hopefully be available to finally kick off his minor-league career this summer.

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