These 3 Prospects Could Help Cubs in September
September is less than a weekend away, which sounds crazy for many reasons. School has started back up, college football is already back, the NFL is around the corner, and the weather has begun cooling down. It’s an important time in the baseball world as well, with the pennant races officially underway. As the last month of the regular season approaches, so do the September call-ups. Each team is allowed to increase its roster to 28 active players, with a pitcher and hitter being promoted.
Although the division feels out of reach, the Cubs are indeed in a pennant race and would like maintain the top Wild Card spot at the very least. FanGraphs gives the Cubs a 6.0% chance to win the division, but a 99.5% chance to reach the playoffs. Adding a pair of impact prospects will help their regulars to stay sharp not just for the stretch run, but for the postseason as well.
Injuries have been all too common for the pitching staff, so another arm out of the bullpen will be a huge help. One of the top options is Riley Martin, a southpaw taken in the sixth round (184th overall) out of Quincy University in 2021. Martin moved quickly through the system, reaching Triple-A Iowa in 2023 and spending the last two seasons there between multiple stints on the development list.
In 58.0 innings this year, he has a 2.64 ERA and 1.16 WHIP with 11.48 K/9 and an impressive 52.8% groundball rate. The walks remain a bit of concern, but he misses enough bats to allow him to work through those control issues. Having an additional roster spot to deploy him situationally provides the perfect opportunity for Martin to continue his development at the highest level.
Riley Martin🔥 pic.twitter.com/BW81YmhETU
— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) August 17, 2025
Offensively, MoisĂ©s Ballesteros appears to be the most likely option help out in Chicago. He’s already on the 40-man roster and has some major league experience from two brief stints earlier in the season. Getting 20 plate appearances over six games didn’t give him much of a chance to show what he can do, but he picked up a double and drove in three runs at Milwaukee in his most recent game back on July 30.
Moisés Ballesteros clears the bases! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/e6f2OTum4Z
— MLB (@MLB) July 30, 2025
Mo Baller has an .848 OPS with 12 homers and 70 RBI over 471 Triple-A plate appearances and could help to spark an offense that still hasn’t found its stride in the second half. Of course, he’s got to be in the lineup in order to have any sort of impact at all. At the very least, he provides another bench bat who can be used in lopsided games or when a matchup dictates a change late.
One other clear option is Kevin Alcántara, who got a cup of coffee late last season and remains on the 40-man roster. Alcántara can play all three outfield positions and he has an .819 OPS with 17 home runs and 10 stolen bases in 430 plate appearances for Triple-A Iowa. It’s hard to see how he’d be used in Chicago, especially with Owen Caissie mainly sitting the bench during his time in MLB so far, but having dynamic depth is always good.
Mike Rodriguez reported Sunday morning that Alcantara is being promoted, so we’ll wait on the official word there. The Cubs have also added 39-year-old first baseman Carlos Santana, who could supplant either Caissie or Justin Turner if he’s added prior to roster expansions. He’ll have to be added earlier than that for postseason eligibility, which is the whole reason he was released in the first place, so there will be a personnel move of some kind coming.
Stay tuned for additional details.
