Why Cubs pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins is a potential star-in-the-making

The Chicago Cubs have promoted Jaxon Wiggins, their No. 10 prospect, to the Double-A Knoxville Smokies, inching him closer to being a contributor at the big-league level.

According to the Smokies' transaction page, Wiggins was promoted on Tuesday after enjoying an impressive start to the 2025 season with the High-A South Bend Cubs. In five starts, Wiggins has a 1.71 ERA, 31 strikeouts, and a 0.99 WHIP over 26 1/3 innings pitched. The right-hander has also limited opposing hitters to a .143 batting average and reached the seven-strikeout mark in three of his outings.

Wiggins' most recent outing came against the Fort Wayne TinCaps on May 8, where he completed seven innings with zero walks, seven strikeouts and one earned run allowed. This is the best stretch of Wiggins' brief professional career, and hopefully it's a sign that he is developing into another solid homegrown pitcher for the Cubs.

When could we see Jaxon Wiggins pitching at Wrigley Field?

With a fastball that tops out at 100 MPH, a solid change-up and a 60-grade slider, the 23-year-old has a solid arsenal to lean on as he continues to progress. Some scouting reports say Wiggins is destined for a bullpen job since he struggles with issuing too many walks at times. The former second-round pick posted a 14.2 percent walk rate in 2024, which is fairly high for a big-league pitcher, let alone a guy throwing in the low levels of the minors. Wiggins has lowered that number to 12.4 percent this year, but you'd still want to see it come down even more.

If Wiggins can stay healthy this year, he has a shot to make it to Triple-A by the end of the season, where he will be on the cusp of a major league call-up. It's unlikely the Cubs will need him as a starter in 2025 though, as Shota Imanaga and Javier Assad are expected to return from the injured list at some point and Cade Horton is emerging as a legitimate big-league starting pitcher. But Wiggins could be in play for a job in 2026, or the Cubs could dangle him at the trade deadline or next offseason.

No matter where he ends up, Wiggins is becoming a valuable prospect for the Cubs. The team can use that to their advantage by either using Wiggins on their roster or making him a main component of a trade package.