Cubs' Craig Counsell reveals if youngster could make debut this season

Jon Conahan

Cubs' Craig Counsell reveals if youngster could make debut this season image

All in all, the Chicago Cubs have had a decent season. It isn’t fair to be upset at 81-62, despite being 7.5 games out in the National League Central. 

The Cubs are in a strong position to make the postseason, and they simply have to tip their caps to the Milwaukee Brewers for what they've been able to do in the division. The Brewers were one of the best teams in Major League Baseball for more than two months, having historic highs. 

On the flip side of that, there have been some problems for the Cubs, and something they have to factor in during the postseason. 

Could the Cubs call up a promising player?

Given how poorly the Cubs have thrown the baseball from their starting rotation, it needs to be addressed. However, considering it's this late in the year, there aren't many realistic ways to do so unless they call up some of their top prospects. 

The Cubs recently called up Jaxon Wiggins to Triple-A, with many suggesting that he could make his big league debut sometime this month.

When examining what could happen for the Cubs, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic explored the possibility of him getting called up. 

"For a manager who is constantly thinking about ‘out-getters' and ‘the innings puzzle,' Wiggins looms as an intriguing option, either for depth or maybe even October impact," Mooney wrote.

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Despite that, skipper Craig Counsell admitted over the weekend that he’s still a bit of a way to go before the Cubs decide to give him a shot. 

He added, however, that it should be a good challenge for him. 

"There’s a ways to go before we get there,” Counsell said of promoting Wiggins. “But we thought about the challenge of Triple A for the last three weeks of the season. And then who knows what could happen?"

In 17 starts throughout High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A, Wiggins has posted a 1.89 ERA and struck out 87 hitters in 71.1 innings.

Jon Conahan

Jon Conahan is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. A 2022 Penn State University graduate who majored in journalism, he was also a member of the school's D1 baseball team. His work has been featured on Sports Illustrated, Heavy and other outlets. Jon makes home in North Jersey, but also resides in Cape Coral, Florida, for parts of the year. He’s an avid fan of the New York Yankees, Miami Dolphins and Milwaukee Bucks.