Cubs Keep Josiah Hartshorn's Crazy Breakout Season Going with Third Promotion

The meteoric rise of Josiah Hartshorn continues for the Chicago Cubs.

Emerging as the organization's top prospect this season, Hartshorn has been posting crazy numbers in High-A ball for the majority of the year. And the Cubs have now decided to give him one last promotion.

The South Bend Cubs fell out of the playoffs on Thursday after a 3-1 loss to the Quad Cities River Bandits. This initially meant the end of Hartshorn's incredible season ... until it didn't. According to Chase Ford of MiLB Central, the Cubs have decided to promote Hartshorn to Double-A for the remainder of 2026.

Hartshorn will now join a Tennessee Smokies squad that has three regular-season games left on the calendar. The team will then embark on a playoff trip of their own, which starts with a divisional series next week. Some extra postseason experience never hurts, especially for someone with as much upside as Hartshorn.

Indeed, at this rate, there is no telling how fast Hartshorn could make his way to the Majors. This is only Year 1 of his pro career after being selected 181st in the 2025 MLB Draft, yet the 19-year-old has already forced his way up to Double-A. Even if it is a small sample size, could a few solid games and a strong spring training have him in Iowa at the start of next season?

To be clear, the Cubs shouldn't necessarily force the issue. There are still plenty of valid reasons to take things slow with Hartshorn. At the same time, eventually the proof is in the pudding. If the production continues, the Cubs may simply be better off finding room for him on the big league squad.

Nevertheless, that's a conversation for another day. All that matters now is that Hartshorn isn't done playing baseball just yet, and fans will want to keep an eye on how he fares at the next level.

Josiah Hartshorn's Fantastic Numbers

South Bend infielder Josiah Hartshorn, Chicago Cubs — South Bend infielder Josiah Hartshorn walks up to bat during a Minor League Baseball game between the South Bend Cubs and the Cedar Rapids Kernels at Four Winds Field on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026, in South Bend. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Chicago Cubs have watched Josiah Hartshorn become one of the most well-rounded hitting prospects in baseball this season. As things currently stand, he heads to the Smokies with a .289/.411/.528 slash line and .939 OPS in his 122 games.

What's even more exciting is that his numbers only improved after he moved to South Bend. His OPS jumped from .884 to .965. The power has been on full display, hitting 18 homers with a slew of extra-base hits. Speaking of which, he's recorded 23 total homers this season with 26 doubles and five triples. Overall, his 110 RBIs are the fourth-most in the minors.

First-year players – let alone ones who aren't even 20 years old yet – aren't supposed to look this comfortable at the plate. It's a big reason why he has jumped up the prospect leaderboards, as history suggests he should only pick up more tips and tricks from here. As Carson Wolf of The Wrigley Wire noted, only TWO 19-year-olds have been at the plate in Double-A ball this year.

Greg Huss also shared a fun fact, saying that his research shows that Hartshorn is the first Cubs player drafted out of high school to reach Double-A in Year 1 since 1970. In other words, we can officially declare this a historic season for Hartshorn!

Josiah Hartshorn is being called up to Double-A.

According to my research, he is the first Cubs high school draftee to reach Double-A in his first full professional season since Dyain Frazier in 1970.
— Greg Huss (@OutOfTheVines) September 11, 2026

Once again, expectations need to remain tempered. Hartshorn still has a way to go before he's making big plays at the Friendly Confines. And, of course, consistency is key. It's one thing to come out of the gate firing, but can he keep up this elite level of production? It's a fair ask at this point in time.

With that said, the Cubs genuinely couldn't have asked for much more from Hartshorn this year. This season has been a massive success, and he is one of several reasons to remain pretty optimistic about where things are trending with this franchise.

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