The Rundown: Alcántara Looks Good in Battle for Bench Spot, Brown Makes Roster, Conrad Could Miss Month with Back Issue,

I tell you what, it was really nice to take a step back and recalibrate over the weekend. It wasn’t to keep myself away from covering news of Seiya Suzuki‘s knee injury or Michael Conforto making the team, not to mention punting on lineup posts, but it ended up working out really well. But now I’m back, and the best news is that you’ll be getting your old Rundown writer back soon.

Michael Canter is hopping back into the saddle here soon, which will free me up a great deal to cover things with a little more flow than I’ve been able to over the last several weeks. In the meantime, I’ve got a full tank of unleaded and enough tread on the tires to get me through a few more days. Funny what a night or two of restful sleep does for your mental clarity.

For one reason or another, it had been at least a week since I’d woken up feeling refreshed. But after sitting outside on Saturday watching our three high school baseball teams — varsity, JV white, JV purple — scrimmage, followed by a cookout, I was golden on Sunday. One theory is that I’d been so wound up by the selection process that the relief allowed me to relax. Another is that grilling up several dozen hot dogs in the bright sun sapped my energy.

Whatever the case, it was a great weekend. One of the best parts for me personally was seeing how the new head coach has shifted the program to have a greater focus on development. While the purple team is still mainly freshmen, having some sophomores there allows them to keep more of those players in the program. Same for the juniors, really. They are also carrying more players on varsity, which creates more playing time for sophomores and juniors at the higher JV level.

That may end up putting the squeeze on some of the juniors who made varsity in bench roles, but I’m interested to see how it plays out. In that regard, it’s similar to how the Cubs and other MLB teams view development. You want young players to get reps, but there’s a point at which you can’t just keep them in the minors. Then there’s the balance of experience versus potential and which you value more when winning is a priority.

We’ll find out very soon how the Cubs opt to handle that in terms of the last bench spot up for grabs, but recent developments give us a pretty good clue.

Alcántara’s Case Strengthens

Whether it was the number of veteran non-roster outfielders the Cubs added or getting yelled at during a baserunning drill, it looked for a long while as though Kevin Alcántara might be back in Triple-A to start the season. That’s possible because the Cubs were granted another option on him, though I have mentioned before that I believe it would be unwise to keep him down there and risk having him turn out like another Nelson Velázquez or Alexander Canario.

However, recent developments have thrown the door wide open for El Jaguar. Chas McCormick has been dealing with a shoulder issue and has been told he won’t make the roster, so that’s one less competitor. Craig Counsell told reporters at camp on Monday that Seiya Suzuki would open the season on the IL, giving the Cubs another spot on the active roster.

Dylan Carlson is really the only other option at this point, and adding him would require another move to clear a 40-man roster spot. That can easily be done by playing Tyler Austin on the 60-day IL, but Carlson seems like a temporary asset at best. Giving the spot to Alcantara improves the defense in right over Matt Shaw, who has looked a little suspect in the outfield. Between the well and the wind at Wrigley, being out there regularly in late March and early April might not be great.

With Opening Day just three days out, we’ll know more soon.

Brown Makes Roster

The final spot on the pitching staff was settled on Monday, with Ben Brown getting the nod as Javier Assad was optioned to Triple-A. That comes down to Brown having more swing-and-miss stuff in a relief role and Assad staying stretched out to provide depth for a rotation that has its share of injury risks.

The plan for now is to stick with a traditional rotation, though that could change once Justin Steele returns from elbow surgery. Between early off-days and having a complement of relatively fresh arms, Counsell shouldn’t have to worry about finding extra rest for a while. Assuming everyone’s pitching well enough to maintain a spot, getting Steele back could mean expanding or going with piggyback starts once in a while.

Colin Rea provides insurance against early injuries or poor performance, so he’ll be the first line of defense. Assad would be next, and Brown could be stretched back out in an emergency. Steele wasn’t going to be rushed back regardless, but having all these options makes it easier for Counsell and the front office to plan things out.

Conrad to Miss ‘Roughly a Month’

Outfielder Ethan Conrad was the Cubs’ pick at No. 17 overall last summer out of Wake Forest, and he quickly rose to No. 3 in their prospect rankings. He fell to them at that spot due to missing most of the season following surgery to repair his left shoulder, but he was looking great in camp before suffering a back issue. Jason Kanzler, the club’s director of player development, told reporters that the 21-year-old will miss a good chunk of the season.

“I don’t have a concrete timeline,” Kanzler said. “He’s probably going to miss roughly a month, but past that, it’s very fluid.”

It’s unclear exactly what led to the injury, but Kanzler noted that it wasn’t acute. At the risk of being Debbie Downer here, the idea of a baseball player dealing with a chronic back issue worries me a lot more. Let’s just hope this is something the Cubs are handling with an abundance of caution and that it’s not something that lingers deeper into Conrad’s career.

More News and Notes

• My X account was hacked, and now I have apparently purchased a new truck with hard work and crypto.
• MLB.com has the Cubs at No. 8 in its latest power rankings, up from 10 in January.
• During a break from carrying water for MLB owners, The Athletic’s Jim Bowden ranked the Cubs at No. 7 among the league’s best lineups.
• MGM has set the over/under on Cubs wins at 88.5, which I think is a very good line. Even though I believe they’re a better overall team, the Pirates and Reds have improved as well.
• FanGraphs projects the Cubs to win the division with 86 wins, just two games ahead of the Pirates.
• Pittsburgh will not have Konnor Griffin up for Opening Day after assigning him to minor league camp, but the top overall prospect is expected to debut this season.
•  Dylan Crews, the No. 2 overall pick by the Nats in 2023, has been optioned to Triple-A. He made his MLB debut in 2024, but has hit poorly in 454 PAs and put together a dreadful spring training. It’s concerning that a rebuilding team isn’t willing to give him more reps, but this could just be a matter of making sure he has everyday playing time following an injury-marred 2025.
• Reliever José Leclerc is close to signing with the Padres, per Mike Rodriguez.
• The Wu-Tang Clan has extended the Final Chamber Tour with 25 more US dates in August, September, and October.

Trailer Time

In keeping with the theme of 90s staples taking center stage, there’s a new Street Fighter film adaptation being released on October 16. The smash video game franchise was first adapted to the silver screen in 1994 with a campy action flick starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Raul Julia. It tried to put more of a plot into the basic combat tournament, but it made a lot of money despite being panned by critics and fans alike.

This reboot features a star-studded cast that includes Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, Eric André, 50 Cent, Jason Momoa, and David Dastmalchian. It sounds like the plot is similar to that of the Mortal Kombat reboots, which hew much closer to the premise of the games. I can hear the background music in my head as I type this, so you know I’ll be there in the theater to relive those countless hours of my youth spent smashing buttons to trigger E. Honda’s Hundred Hand Slap or Dhalsim’s Yoga Flame.

And who could forget Ken and Ryu’s Hadouken? I’m all in for this cheesy goodness.