Following Pedro Ramirez’s promotion, a wave of elite talent looms in Triple-A. From power-hitting Kevin Alcantara to consistent Jonathon Long, discover which surging farmhands will reach Chicago next.
The Chicago Cubs made a major move before Friday’s series opener against the Houston Astros by calling up No. 2 prospect Pedro Ramirez to the active roster.
Ramirez was tearing it up at Triple-A Iowa this season, hitting .312 with nine home runs, 11 doubles, 40 RBI, and 19 stolen bases in his first 43 games. His promotion could be the first of many Cubs prospects to be called up this year.
So, which one could be the next to find their way on the active roster? Let’s look at the three likeliest Cubs prospects to be promoted next.
Kevin Alcantara
It’s only a matter of time until Cubs’ No. 5 prospect Kevin Alcantara gets another shot in the big leagues. Despite a poor 33.3% strikeout rate and 37.3% whiff rate, Alcantara has hit the ball well down at Triple-A to begin the season.
The 23-year-old is slashing .242/.339/.567 with 15 home runs, six doubles, 32 RBI, and three stolen bases in 41 games. His 15 home runs are tied for the most among all Triple-A hitters, and his .567 slugging percentage ranks 11th in the International League.
Alcantara is likely the next Cubs prospect to be called up. He continues to barrel the ball at an elite rate (20.8%) and has already appeared in the Majors in both the 2024 and 2025 seasons. The 6-foot-6 slugger is 5-for-21 with one RBI in his MLB career.
Jonathon Long
There is a strong chance that Jonathon Long will make his Major League debut sometime this summer. He is the Cubs' reigning Minor League Player of the Year and is off to another great start at Triple-A Iowa this year.
Long is hitting .282 with two home runs, nine doubles, 26 RBI, and one stolen base across 44 games. These numbers come after the 24-year-old batted .305 with a career-high 20 home runs and 91 RBI in 140 contests in 2025.
The Cubs’ No. 7 prospect has now appeared in 184 games with the Iowa Cubs. He has a combined .299 batting average with 22 home runs, 117 RBI, and 98 walks in those games. Long seems to be ready for the big leagues.
James Triantos
James Triantos is the least likely player on this list to be called up next. But there’s a good chance he is promoted to the big leagues sometime this summer. His expected time of arrival on MLB Pipeline is 2026, and Triantos is hitting the ball well at Triple-A.
The Cubs’ No. 9 prospect is slashing .298/.331/.441 with four home runs, nine doubles, 27 RBI, and 11 stolen bases in 40 games with the Iowa Cubs. Both his zone-contact rate (90.3%) and swinging strike rate (7.6%) rank really well, and his expected batting average ranks in the 94th percentile (.299).
If Triantos continues to produce these types of numbers in Iowa, he could be promoted sometime in August/September. The 23-year-old is also a major threat on the basepaths, as he stole 47 bases in 2024 and 31 bases in 2025.
