Ian Happ

14 augustus 2025

Gets new outfield mate

With top prospect Owen Caissie expected to make his MLB debut Thursday, per Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com, Happ and other Chicago outfielders may be more crunched for regular playing time.

Analysis

Chicago already has a fairly crowded outfield with Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker playing most days left to right, and regular DH Seiya Suzuki also capable of filling a corner spot. The addition of Caissie is likely an attempt to jumpstart a Cubs' offense that has been struggling lately, and the top prospect figures to take playing time away from any of the current outfielders who are slumping or could use a break. Happ has the lowest season-long OPS of the aforementioned quartet, and he's slashing just .222/.310/.361 this month. It remains to be seen how Chicago divvies up playing time moving forward, but it makes sense to think that the 31-year-old Happ could see more rest days during the stretch run.