Featured Photo of Michael Carico’s first professional hit by Rich Biesterfeld

This was the last full week of games in the ACL, with only 2 games remaining next week. The new draftees who joined the organization over the last 4-5 weeks have provided some sparks to the line-up, but it appears that the wear and tear of a lengthy season may be taking its toll on some of the players as they are playing deeper into a season than they ever have before. For the week, the Cubs went 0-5 and were outscored 53-23.

Recent draftee Michael Carico made his pro debut this week. He was the last of the position players to debut and he served as a DH in several games. It was great to see Brennen Davis back on the field and healthy. He had been on the IL since June 7th due to an undisclosed injury but has gone 4-8 in his 3 games in the ACL. While Brennen has battled to stay on the field during the last two seasons, it’s good to remember that he was also the MVP in the MLB Futures game in 2021 and is still only 23 years old.

Some Highlights from the week:

  • Adán Sanchez has been making some adjustments at the plate and also appears to be more selective in his recent AB’s. For the week, he went 3-5 with a pair of walks.
Adan Sanchez
  • Jairo Diaz is another catcher in the Cubs system. I probably haven’t talked about him much this season, but he’s been a steady performer who the pitchers seem to like throwing to. He went 3-6 on the week with an RBI.
Jairo Diaz
  • Alfredo Romero was a free agent signed in 2022. He pitched in the DSL in 2022 and again in 2023 until he was called up last Monday. So far this year in the DSL, he had thrown 28 innings as a starting pitcher with a 1-2 record, a 2.25 ERA while averaging a strikeout per inning. In his one appearance this week, he went 3 innings with no runs allowed and 4 K’s.

Comings & Goings:

Additions to the roster: Michael Carico and Landon Ginn were activated. Brennen Davis was sent on a rehab assignment from the Iowa Cubs. Brad Boxberger was sent on a rehab assignment from the Chicago Cubs. Alfredo Romero was added from the DSL.

Departures from the roster: Landon Ginn and Leonel Espinoza were assigned to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. Brad Boxberger was assigned to the Iowa Cubs as part of his rehab assignment.

A Look Ahead:

The season wraps up with a home game Monday night against the Guardians and a road game on Tuesday morning with the Dodgers. I plan to put out a final update next week including these last two games and the 2023 Cubs ACL season as a whole.