The Chicago Cubs are promoting top pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins to Triple-A Iowa before the end of the minor-league regular season. After a season in which the Cubs have been cautious with Wiggins' usage with Double-A Knoxville, he will now be one step closer to the Major League level.
Wiggins is 23 years old and is currently the highest-ranked pitching prospect in the Cubs' system after Cade Horton graduated to the majors. The Cubs selected him in the second round (68th overall) in the 2023 draft, and he advanced to the High-A level during the 2024 season, during which he struggled with a 4.37 ERA over 59.2 innings pitched.
But Wiggins flipped the script this year and was dominant with the Knoxville Smokies, posting a 1.93 ERA over 10 starts. The 6'6 right-hander also kept opponents to a .152 batting average, and he struck out 52 batters over 42 innings. One of Wiggins' best games came on June 14, when he fired 5 2/3 no-hit innings and struck out nine batters.
Jaxon Wiggins spins 5 2/3 no-hit frames, leading the way in a Double-A @smokiesbaseball no-hitter ‼️
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 15, 2025
The @Cubs' No. 9 prospect ties his career high with nine punchouts, lowering his season ERA to 1.92 across 12 outings. pic.twitter.com/ckmPpuUsy5
Wiggins' promotion is good news, considering he's missed significant time this year. Wiggins has only made three pitching appearances since June 20th, which is reportedly a precaution the Cubs are taking to limit his workload after undergoing Tommy John surgery last year.
Jaxon Wiggins could be a 2026 callup
As long as he stays healthy and continues to succeed well enough at Triple-A, Wiggins could crack the big leagues as soon as next year. He has a three-pitch mix that features a fastball that sits in the upper 90s, with a plus slider and changeup.
Wiggins has the talent and tools to succeed as a starter in the big leagues if he can overcome command issues that have plagued him at times. But he has looked like a sharp player for the entirety of 2025, rising to No. 81 on MLB Pipeline's top 100 list. The Cubs might just have another young controllable starter on their hands, and it looks like it was a wise move to keep him at this year's trade deadline. At worst, Wiggins could probably be a very effective high-leverage reliever.
