Canadian outfielder Owen Caissie to be called up by Chicago Cubs

August 14, 2025

By Kevin Glew

Cooperstowners in Canada

Outfielder Owen Caissie will be called up by the Chicago Cubs to make his major league debut against the Toronto Blue Jays in today’s afternoon game at Rogers Centre.

Jesse Rogers, of ESPN.com, was the first to report the transaction.

Caissie (Burlington, Ont.), whom MLB Pipeline ranks as the Cubs’ No. 1 prospect, has been outstanding with triple-A Iowa this season. In 93 games, the 23-year-old slugger owns a .289/.389/.566 slash line, a .955 OPS and has belted 22 home runs. In total, he has 100 hits, including 26 doubles.

For his efforts, he has been named the Canadian Baseball Network’s minor league Player of the Week three times (May 19 to May 25, June 10 to June 15 and July 1 to July 6).

Chosen by the San Diego Padres in the second round of the 2020 MLB draft, which made him the highest Canuck taken that year, Caissie never played a game in the Padres’ organization before he was dealt to the Cubs as part of the package for right-hander Yu Darvish.

Since then, the left-handed hitting outfielder has played five seasons in the Cubs’ organization.

The Fieldhouse Pirates and Junior National Team alum spent 2024 with the triple-A Iowa Cubs, batting .278 with 19 home runs, 75 RBIs and 11 stolen bases, while posting an .848 OPS, in 127 games. His performance earned him the Canadian Baseball Network’s Randy Echlin Award, as the top Canuck hitter in the affiliated minor league ranks. He was added to the Cubs’ 40-man roster following the season.

In 2023, after starting the year with a home run and four RBIs in three games for Canada at the World Baseball Classic, Caissie batted .289 with 22 home runs and 84 RBIs with the Cubs’ double-A Tennessee Smokies. In 120 games, he had a .399 on-base percentage and a .918 OPS.

Caissie spent 2022 in High A, hitting .254 with 11 home runs in 105 contests after he had batted .302 with seven home runs in 54 games between Rookie Ball and Low-A in 2021.

The left-handed hitting outfielder, who was the Home Run Derby champ at the 2019 Canadian Futures Showcase, will become the 21st Canadian to play in the major leagues this season. Outfielder Tristan Peters (Winkler, Man.) made his big league debut with the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday.

Caissie is set to join a storied list of Canadians who have played for the Cubs, including Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductees Fergie Jenkins (Chatham, Ont.), Ryan Dempster (Gibsons, B.C.), Matt Stairs (Fredericton, N.B.) and Rich Harden (Victoria, B.C.).