3 Chicago Cubs prospects that could give the big league offense a jolt

Amid a brutal month-long offensive slump, the Chicago Cubs have multiple choices for bats to call up from Triple-A to infuse some youth and momentum into the team.

Chicago Cubs v Chicago White Sox
Chicago Cubs v Chicago White Sox / John E. Moore III/GettyImages
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The situation is becoming dire for the Chicago Cubs. Offensive slumps are expected throughout a 162-game season, but their struggles with the bat have yet to turn around since May began. This swoon has seen their record drop to 28-27 as the hitting has all but vanished, ranking 26th in baseball with an 84 wRC+ from May 1 onward. They desperately need a spark to keep things from spiraling too far out of control.

Before Tuesday night's game against the Brewers, the Cubs were the second-worst team when hitting with runners in scoring position. Their .189/.290/.261 slash line amounts to a brutal 63 wRC+, only ahead of the lowly White Sox (61). It feels every bit as bad as the numbers say, too, when they continue to come up empty in golden opportunities and lack any real slug at the plate. Eight of the 23 games they played in the month have ended with the Cubs scoring one run or less. It hurts all the more considering the brilliance of the rotation during the month, which has ranked as the fourth-best staff in the league at a 3.10 ERA.

A few obvious holes stack out, like at the catcher position as we've previously addressed, but the Cubs just need help in general. Fortunately, they have some interesting candidates in the minors deserving of a chance to shake things up. Bringing up one guy isn't going to change the fact that the guys they're paying to hit aren't, but every bit of offense can help, especially if they get enough playing time to make a difference. There's room to make a move, too, with Nick Madrigal struggling mightily with minor-league options to spare.

Let's look at three guys the Cubs could call up soon to supplement their struggling hitting core (assuming they'll get enough playing time).

3. Brennen Davis

After a brutal few years of injury woes and underperformance, it might finally be time for former Cubs top prospect Brennen Davis to take the field in Chicago. Still only 24 years old, he's caught fire in Iowa with a .270/.434/.622/166 wRC+ slash line and eight home runs to his name in 99 plate appearances. He's also been riding an insane hot streak throughout May that saw him hit seven long balls over the course of eight games.

While he hasn't continued lighting the world his past few games, that performance is exactly what the Cubs should capitalize on. The improvements he's made in his approach at the plate are also encouraging. With a 21.2% strikeout rate and a 15.8% walk rate, he finally looks like his old self from the 2021 season when he first earned the promotion. Across the board, he appears to have found himself in Triple-A, albeit with even more slug.

There's no hand-waving away the fact that experts don't have a ton of faith in his hit tool and the many injuries he's suffered, flukey or not, leave doubts about his durability. However, even if this run doesn't last and he's ultimately destined to end up with another team, he could be worth the shot in the short term. Playing time might be difficult with four outfielders getting the lion's share of games, but there are ways to make things work by utilizing the DH or moving Cody Bellinger to first base and giving Michael Busch some time off. That also holds true for our next two entries.

2. Pete Crow-Armstrong

Pete Crow-Armstrong may have only just been sent down, but he's working overtime to earn his way back up. Since his demotion, he has hit an astronomical .444/.500/.926/251 wRC+ with three home runs, 25 total bases, ten runs scored, and a fire that shows he's ready for the big leagues again. His remarkable hot streak didn't go unnoticed either, as he was named the International League Player of the Week and deemed the hottest prospect in baseball over the past week by Baseball America.

In his brief time in Chicago, PCA showed just how valuable he could be, even if his hitting still needed work. Despite having less than half the plate appearances of the team's regulars, he ranks as the sixth most valuable player on the team thanks to his stellar defense. Stats like defensive runs saved (6) and outs above average (3) have him ahead of his teammates with more innings in the field. Add in his much-improved baserunning decisions and you have a player who can create mayhem on the bases and steal more runs for a team that's struggling to generate them.

Unlike everyone else on this list, PCA can't be called up yet. Position players have to wait a minimum of ten days before being brought back. When that time comes though, such a move needs to be strongly considered for the versatility and progress he's shown. I don't think the Cubs will do it ultimately - Jed Hoyer made it clear that he believes Crow-Armstrong needs consistent playing time to work out his hitting - but it may be the best choice overall to maximize the roster.

1. Alexander Canario

I am once again asking for Alexander Canario to get playing time at the big-league level. The Cubs badly need power and there are few better sources of it than the slugging outfielder who came over in the Kris Bryant trade. Like Crow-Armstrong, he's also been destroying the baseball since his return to Iowa to the tune of a .298/.375/.667/158 wRC+ slash line with three bombs of his own.

As always, the same concerns about Canario still exist. His 28.1% strikeout rate over that stretch is a tad high for what you'd like to see from a Triple-A player and doesn't show much improvement from his minor league career. His limited time in Chicago has also come with an untenable number of strikeouts, creating concerns over whether he can handle major-league pitching.

However, we'll never know if his skill set will ultimately be unfit at the highest level if he doesn't get more chances. He'd easily be a better choice than Madrigal right now and a worthy DH candidate due to his prodigious power. With the Cubs being out-homered considerably over the past month, it couldn't hurt to slot Canario in consistently in hopes that he runs into a ball or two, even if the whiffs are a problem.

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