MILWAUKEE — The Cubs are recalling one of their top prospects less than 48 hours before Thursday’s MLB trade deadline.
The team is recalling catcher Moisés Ballesteros, a source confirmed to Marquee Sports Network. ESPN’s Jesse Rogers was the first to report the news.
Ballesteros will likely take the roster spot of outfielder Ian Happ, who fouled a ball off his shin in Tuesday’s 9-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Happ was hobbling around the visitors’ clubhouse after the loss and received X-rays, which he said were negative.
“Just squared it up,” Happ said after the game. “Felt a little lightheaded there and didn’t want to pass out on the field, so made my way down the tunnel.
“That was as bad as I’ve had it. Not the pain thing, it’s the lightheadedness and feeling like you might not make it off the field. So, in that situation just getting out of there.”
Happ has been a beacon of stability for the Cubs the past three years – he’s missed 17 games from 2022-2024 but was on the 10-day IL earlier this season with a left oblique strain. That injury caused the Cubs to bring up Ballesteros for his major-league debut.
Ballesteros appeared in five games and went 3-for-16 (.188 average) with two walks and three RBI. He’s been raking at Triple-A Iowa – he has a .331 average with 9 home runs, 56 RBI and an .888 OPS. He’s been named the Cubs’ minor league hitter of the year the last two seasons.
Recalling Ballesteros allows the Cubs to use his bat as a designated hitting option. If Happ lands on the IL, the Cubs would likely use Seiya Suzuki in left field and could platoon Justin Turner and Ballesteros at DH, depending on matchups. The Cubs close out the three-game set against the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday against right-hander Freddy Peralta.
Ballesteros is a lifetime .290/.372/.461 (.833 OPS) with 55 home runs and 256 RBI in 437 career minor league games across five seasons.