Seiya Suzuki Could Move to Everyday DH, Owen Caissie ‘Likely’ September Promotion

This had all been more or less assumed for a while now, but 670 The Score’s Matt Spiegel gave it all a bit more credibility on Tuesday. As the radio host shared on his eponymous afternoon show with cohost Danny Parkins — who is reportedly leaving for an FS1 gig — the Cubs will flip Seiya Suzuki and Cody Bellinger once the latter’s broken finger is healthy enough for him to resume playing in the field. Given Suzuki’s defensive issues, many figured he’d slide into the primary DH role following the departure of Christopher Morel.

Spiegel went on to say that No. 3 prospect Owen Caissie will “likely” be a September call-up as the club looks to reward his efforts. Again, not a huge surprise given the outfielder’s strong performance since coming over in the Yu Darvish trade. However, Caissie’s promotion would require at least one personnel move because he is not on the 40-man roster. How he’s deployed will depend on the Cubs’ standing in the postseason race and the front office’s view of his future.

A lot of folks believe Caissie is the lefty masher the Cubs have lacked for far too long, unless you count that half-season of Joc Pederson. Others think the evident holes in the Canadian ginger’s swing will be exposed at the MLB level and that trading him at the height of his value as a prospect is in the club’s best interest. I guess I’m somewhere in the middle.

Even if Caissie remains with the Cubs, I expect more than one of their top 5-6 prospects to be moved prior to the start of next season.