(670 The Score) Cubs top prospect Owen Caissie arrived in Toronto last Thursday and batted fifth in the order in his MLB debut. He hasn't been in the starting lineup since.
Caissie is 0-for-5 in two games, sitting out games Friday and Saturday and then only pinch-hitting Sunday while the Cubs lean on their veteran core. Appearing on the Mully & Haugh Show on Monday morning, Cubs baseball operations Jed Hoyer stressed that he and manager Craig Counsell are on the same page regarding the 23-year-old Caissie's role and cautioned that his opportunity will be limited due to a crowded outfield mix.
“The way our team is set up, if we’re going to play him, it’s going to be at the expense really of Seiya (Suzuki) or Kyle (Tucker) or Ian (Happ),” Hoyer said. "That’s kind of the way it would work. Those guys have been doing this a long time, and they're a big part of our offense. Listen, Owen is going to play. If he’s not playing, we’ll have to make sure he’s getting reps in the minors.
“Ultimately, I think he’s very close to major league-ready. But as we’ve seen with Pete (Crow-Armstrong), as we’ve seen with Matt Shaw, no matter how good you are in the minors, how good you are as a prospect, the early reps can be challenging. We want to make sure he’s getting reps and playing. He's going to get at-bats. He’s going to get in the lineup at times. But the point of calling him up was never to bench one of our veteran guys, and we’ve been true to that.”
The Cubs open a five-game series against the Brewers on Monday afternoon with the opener of a day-night doubleheader at Wrigley Field. Pregame coverage starts at 12:45 p.m. CT on 670 The Score, with first pitch set for 1:20 p.m.