Cubs News: Aaron Civale, Carlos Santana signings official; Owen Caissie optioned

It's September 1 - and for most of the country, that's significant because it's Labor Day - but for baseball fans, it carries added meaning with the annual roster expansion across Major League Baseball. It's not the clubhouse-crowding endeavor it used to be, but it still gives teams two extra bodies for the stretch run with October looming.

The Chicago Cubs have been busy, and on Monday, they made their two recent pick-ups official in veterans Carlos Santana and Aaron Civale. To make room on the 40-man for Santana, the team designated minor league infielder Ben Cowles for assignment and Tom Cosgrove was the roster casualty for Civale.

Cowles came over in last summer's Mark Leiter Jr. trade with the New York Yankees, along with right-hander Jack Neely. The former 10th-round pick out of Maryland was strong defensively this year at Triple-A Iowa, but struggled with the stick, slashing just .238/.304/.382 in 462 plate appearances.

Meanwhile, Cosgrove spent virtually all of the season at Iowa, making just two relief appearances for the big-league club early in the season. The southpaw struggled at Triple-A, with an ERA approaching 5.00 and a WHIP north of 1.500. Those struggles, paired with the team's left-handed relief depth in Caleb Thielbar, Taylor Rogers, and Drew Pomeranz, make this a move that makes sense.

Cubs hope two veterans help round out the roster in September

Civale will pitch out of the Cubs' bullpen - and his arrival could help Craig Counsell get creative in controlling workloads for Matthew Boyd and Cade Horton in September, in hopes of keeping both guys as fresh as possible for the postseason. This year, between the Brewers and White Sox, the right-hander has a 5.26 ERA in 89 innings of work, appearing exclusively as a starter.

Santana adds another veteran bat to the bench for Counsell, a switch-hitter whose biggest strength at this point in his career is his glove at first base. The offense has been way down this year for the 39-year-old, but the Cubs clearly see something in his profile they believe can help the team lock up its first playoff berth since 2020.

Owen Caissie demoted, Kevin Alcantara takes his spot on the team

Last, but certainly not least, the Owen Caissie experiment is over - at least for now. Chicago optioned its top-ranked prospect back to Iowa on Monday, recalling Kevin Alcantara, a right-handed outfielder, to take his place on the 28-man roster. Caissie's playing time since getting the call was sporadic, at best, and it'll be interesting to see how the Cubs handle his role heading into 2026.

At Triple-A this season, Alcantara slashed .266/.349/.470. This is his second taste of big-league action after making his MLB debut late last summer, when he went 1-for-10 in limited action.