Cubs Prospect Update: Josiah Hartshorn's 2026 season, Jaxon Wiggins' streak ends, Owen Ayers

Josiah Hartshorn's 2026 regular season with the South Bend Cubs is over. In his first professional season, Hartshorn has ascended toward top-prospect status in the Chicago Cubs' farm system, and while South Bend has reached the playoffs, their regular season reached a conclusion on Sunday.

As a whole, Hartshorn slashed .289/.411/.528 with 23 home runs and a wRC+ of 143 across the lowers levels of the Cubs' system this year. What's most impressive is what Hartshorn did upon his promotion to High-A. In 83 games with the South Bend Cubs, he hit 18 home runs with a wRC+ of 142.

Josiah Hartshorn ends South Bend's regular season among the best hitters in High-A

Despite being the youngest player in the High-A Midwest League, 19, he had the highest OPS of any hitter. He was also second in wRC+, wOBA, ISO, and fourth in RBI. Had he played in more than 83 games, chances are he would be near the top of the league in home runs.

It's worth mentioning that Double-A Knoxville's regular season ends on Sunday. While South Bend's regular season is over, they have made the playoffs and opened a division series against Quad Cities on Tuesday, a game that included another Hartshorn home run.

Jaxon Wiggins' scoreless streak as a reliever is over, but Cubs still should give him an audition

As the Cubs look for solutions to their bullpen problem, outside of the looming return of Shelby Miller. One name that should be under consideration is Jaxon Wiggins. Wiggins tossed seven consecutive scoreless innings upon being moved to the bullpen, and the streak came to an end over the weekend. He was touched up for one run on five hits on Sunday.

Still, he's struck out 11 of the 37 hitters he's faced as relief pitcher, and while he has walked six in nine innings of relief isn't ideal, it's reached the point that Wiggins deserves a look at the big-league level. As much as the trope is that the Cubs have to rely on the options they currently have with the team, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over but expecting a different result.

Owen Ayers might soon be a candidate to swap places with BJ Murray Jr.

Ethan Hearn returned to game action with the Iowa Cubs on September 4. Why that is relevent is that the Iowa Cubs now have three active catchers with Hearn, top prospect Owen Ayers, and veteran Austin Wynns.

Now that the I-Cubs' catching depth has been restored, it wouldn't be a complete surprise to see Ayers swap places with BJ Murray Jr. Murray has largely been idle since being a September call-up, and there's real value in the Cubs giving Ayers a look before the playoffs, considering the role he's expected to have with the team next season.

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