Cubs Set to Test Top Prospect Josiah Hartshorn With Late-Season Move

The 19-year-old ranks fourth in the minors in RBIs

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 | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Chicago Cubs prospect Josiah Hartshorn's first season in the minors reportedly isn't over just yet.

Hartshorn, Chicago's No. 1 prospect on MLB Pipeline, is expected to be bumped up from High-A South Bend to Double-A Knoxville, according to MiLB Central's Chase Ford. While the organization has not yet announced the 19-year-old's promotion, he could debut with the Knoxville Smokies as soon as Friday against the Birmingham Barons, the Chicago White Sox's Double-A affiliate.

For Hartshorn, this reported call-up to Double-A extends his first season in the Cubs' farm system. With the South Bend Cubs recently eliminated from the High-A playoffs, the switch-hitting slugger will seemingly get his first taste of Double-A action before turning his attention to preparing for 2027.

Josiah Hartshorn has been turning heads all year

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 | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Roughly 14 months ago, the Cubs picked Hartshorn in the sixth round of the 2025 MLB Draft out of high school. Since then, the highly touted prospect has produced at every minor league level he's played at. In 122 games this year, the 19-year-old has a .289 batting average, a .411 on-base percentage, and a .939 OPS with 23 home runs, 110 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases.

Hartshorn began the 2026 campaign at Single-A, hitting .273 in 39 games. The switch-hitting slugger was then promoted to High-A South Bend in late May, and his offensive numbers only improved. In 83 High-A games, Chicago's top prospect had a .297 batting average, a .405 on-base percentage, and a .965 OPS with 18 homers and 85 RBIs.

Hartshorn's 110 RBIs are the fourth-most in the minors so far in 2026. He's only behind the Los Angeles Dodgers' Emil Morales, the Milwaukee Brewers' Andrew Fischer, and Dodgers prospect Easton Shelton on the minor league RBI leaderboard. If the 2025 sixth-rounder is officially promoted to Double-A, he'll have a few more games to add to his RBI total this season.

Although Hartshorn's first stint in Double-A will be brief, this could be an early indication of where the top prospect might begin the 2027 season. But first, many Cubs fans will be looking forward to seeing how the young first baseman and outfielder performs with the Knoxville Smokies.