Cubs pitching prospect's AFL breakout takes a deflating turn with injury scare

Injuries were at the center of the 2026 season for the Chicago Cubs, and it appears to have followed the team's prospects into the AFL. Dominick Reid is a pitching prospect who was starting to turn heads this fall, but he suffered an injury scare on Tuesday night.

Reid didn't make it out of the second inning of his start for the Mesa Solar Sox, forced to leave the game with a trainer. It's worth noting that Reid's exit was in the middle of a plate appearance, so there were enough alarm bells sounding to not push it any further. Reid's command also appeared to be off, but that might not be related to the injury,

Reid was a third-round pick for the Cubs in 2025, and part of the reason why he was pitching in the AFL this year is because he missed time during the season with an injury.

Cubs may have a new injury concern after Dominick Reid's AFL exit

In fact, it was Reid's injury during the season that called into question the Cubs' handling of pitching prospects. Pitching for the the Myrtle Beach Pelicans during a start in June, Reid appeared to be in some discomfort but attempted to pitch through it. He was removed from the game immediately after his next pitch. After that start, Reid would go on to make only one more start during the minor-league season, and that was in September.

Now, the difficult part is one, the Cubs are usually tight-lipped when it comes to minor-league injuries. Short of sourced reporting on the injury, we're at the will of the team when it comes to this type of injury update. That holds especially true during the offseason, and it's possible the Cubs don't provide an exact word on what Reid was experiencing on Tuesday night.

Using the injury that happened during the season as reference, it's possible the Cubs shut Reid down for the rest of the AFL season. This was more a case of him making up for lost time during the summer, but there shouldn't be a need for the Cubs to force the issue.

Regardless, Reid isn't a pitched that should be viewed as a potential contributor. If anything, given the number of pitchers they added during this past summer's draft, Reid could be a potential trade chip. Though, in order for that to be the case, he would need to prove to be healthy.

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