Well, that was nice while it lasted. The Chicago Cubs recalled Owen Caissie from Triple-A Iowa ahead of Saturday’s game only to see him depart early after making a spectacular catch that ended with him going headfirst into the ivy-covered brick wall in right center field.
Immediately after the game, manager Craig Counsell announced Caissie was placed in concussion protocol, which makes the imminent return of Kevin Alcantara, who was optioned for Caissie, feel like a near-guarantee.
“Owen has concussion symptoms,” Counsell said. “We’ll just evaluate him moving forward. He just kind of got gradually worse after running into the wall. About 45 minutes later, he couldn’t continue.”
Chicago is already weathering the loss of All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker, who isn’t expected ot come off the injured list when eligble on Tuesday. Without Caissie, and with Seiya Suzuki still battling an illness, expect the likes of Willi Castro and Alcantara to hold down the fort in right, with Moises Ballesteros getting reps at DH.
The good news? The Cubs are a virtual lock to make the postseason at this point. FanGraphs has their playoff odds at 100 percent, joining the Brewers, Phillies and Blue Jays as the only teams with those odds. The goal between now and the start of postseason play is get healthy. Having Tucker back at 100 percent and reinforcements like Caissie waiting in the wings would help ease anxious minds – not to mention the possible returns of Miguel Amaya, Daniel Palencia and Michael Soroka.
With Tucker likely headed out of town via free agency, there’s a good chance the right field job is there for the taking for Caissie next spring. Hopefully, he clears the Cubs’ medical team’s tests in the coming days and is back in action for the team’s upcoming road trip.
