Chicago Cubs Contemplating Calling Up Top Prospects

There is major excitement surrounding the Chicago Cubs right now. After their walk off win over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night, they are now tied for the final Wild Card spot with two other teams.

The only thing going wrong for the Cubs is the perplexing rib injury that Marcus Stroman suffered while on the IL rehabbing his inflamed hip.

With his timetable to return unknown, other players will have to step up during their playoff push.

Patrick Mooney, senior writer for The Athletic, reported that they could be looking at two of their top prospects to get called up and join the major league roster.

He writes Chicago is looking at outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and starting pitcher Jordan Wicks to make the leap from the minor leagues to the majors.

Crow-Armstrong is currently at the Triple-A affiliate after being promoted from Double-A baseball earlier this year. He's had his best season in his short career hitting .291/.379/.539 with 18 home runs and 69 RBI across 85 games with both affiliate teams.

He's the number one rated prospect in the Cubs' farm system that ranks fourth in the MLB.

The star minor leaguer likely won't have a big role if he's called up.

"At the moment, the Cubs don’t need Crow-Armstrong’s potential Gold Glove defense in center field because they have Cody Bellinger performing at an MVP level and Mike Tauchman excelling as a role player," writes Mooney.

Wicks could get a legitimate shot to have a spot in the rotation if he is called up this season. The big left hander has been great this season for the Triple-A affiliate, recording a record of 7-0 with a 3.53 ERA and over a strikeout per inning.

Mooney says, "When the Cubs selected him out of Kansas State with their first-round pick in the 2021 draft, they projected he would be a fixture in their rotation. With that size, a good mix of pitches, and an ability to process information and make adjustments, the Cubs view him as a good match for their game-planning system and strong defense."

The injuries that have hit the pitching staff could force the front office into calling him up sooner than anticipated to help get their playoff push over to the finish line.