A significant injury to Tyler Austin creates an unexpected Opening Day opportunity. The Cubs eye a promising prospect to fill a crucial backup role at first base.
The Chicago Cubs entered camp relatively healthy. The team had no major injuries to note when catchers and pitchers reported a few weeks ago.
All was going well for the Cubs until manager Craig Counsell told reporters in Arizona on Wednesday morning that first baseman Tyler Austin underwent a surgical procedure on his right knee. This injury is expected to keep Austin out for “months.”
While we don’t know the exact timeline of when Austin will return, it appears that the slugging first baseman will be out for quite a while. That makes this a bigger loss than Cubs fans might realize.
Austin had an inside track to making Chicago’s Opening Day roster. He was going to give the Cubs much-needed depth off the bench and was set to be Michael Busch’s backup at first base to begin the season.
The Cubs signed Austin earlier this offseason after spending the last few years in the Nippon Professional Baseball Organization in Japan. The 34-year-old had a career batting average of .287 with 95 home runs and 275 RBI over the past six years with the Yokohama Bay Stars.
In his last season in the NPB, Austin put together a solid offensive campaign. He slashed .280/.363/.502 with 12 home runs, 15 doubles, one triple, and 31 RBI across 72 games. His strikeout rate was also just 17.7% in 2025.
However, Austin’s recent knee surgery now puts him on the shelf for the next several months. The Cubs will need to replace him and must find someone to back up Busch at first base.
While Busch will undoubtedly play every day, the front office still needs to ensure the team has a backup at that position entering the season.
The North Siders don’t really have anyone on their current 40-man roster that plays first base outside of Busch. Moises Ballesteros got some opportunities there last year, so the Cubs could roll with him as the backup at that position to begin the year.
The front office could also look to its farm system to fill that first-base void. Cubs prospect Jonathon Long could be a player that the Cubs look at to potentially replace Austin off the bench.
Although Long suffered a wrist sprain a few days ago in a Spring Training game, the expectation is that he won’t miss too much time. The Cubs No. 6 prospect is already back to swinging a bat, and his wrist is feeling better.
The 24-year-old is coming off a strong Minor League season, in which he hit .305 with 20 home runs, 23 doubles, and 91 RBI across 140 games with the Iowa Cubs. Those numbers helped Long win the organization's Minor League Player of the Year award.
Assuming he is back to playing games within the next few weeks, Long could replace Austin as the Cubs' backup first baseman to begin the season.