Uncertainty grows as top Cubs pitching prospect is pulled from Futures Game roster

This will surely add fuel to the fire. As Chicago Cubs fans continue to speculate as to why one of their top pitching prospects hasn't taken the mound since June 20, an update to the Futures Game was announced that will only make matters worse.

Pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the organization's eighth-ranked overall prospect and second-best arm, will no longer take part in the All-Star Week festivities in Atlanta.

No explanation was given for the removal - but the only two explanations are injury or Jed Hoyer being very, very close to closing a deal that involves Wiggins. I'd lean toward the former given how long it's been since he's pitched at Double-A Knoxville, but you never know.

Cubs fans anxiously await an update on prospect Jaxon Wiggins

If he is, indeed, hurt, it's an unfortunate turn of events for the young right-hander, who the Cubs selected in the second round out of Arkansas back in 2023. Between High-A and Double-A this year, Wiggins boasts an impressive 2.09 ERA and 0.993 WHIP across a dozen starts and one relief appearance, punching out 31 in just 26 1/3 innings of work.

The only organizational pitching prospect ranked higher than Wiggins by MLB Pipeline is right-hander Brandon Birdsell, who will likely lose top billing in the midseason updates given he remains sidelined with a shoulder injury and is yet to throw a pitch this season. With Cade Horton graduating off the prospects rankings as a member of the big-league staff, the farm system feels light on the pitching side, so adding Wiggins to the IL alongside Birdsell would be a big loss.

The lack of a stable of MLB-ready arms waiting in the wings has reared its ugly head this year as the Cubs slog through what feels like injury after injury in the rotation. Jordan Wicks recently rejoined the team after an impressive bounceback at Triple-A Iowa and you hope that he can stick down the stretch, but there's not a lot behind him in terms of big-league talent the Cubs can simply slot in.