Brennen Davis is the Unluckiest Cubs Prospect in a Long Time
UPDATE: Brennen Davis Carted Off Field
The crazy thing is that it already looked like Brennen Davis’ time with the Cubs was over back in July, when he was diagnosed with fracture in his back, but then the outfielder made a miraculous return at the end of August. His last game before then was on June 11. Well, with the minor league season winding down at Triple-A, this latest injury might just be it for Davis.
The 24-year-old outfielder was carted off the field during Tuesday night’s Iowa Cubs game after attempting to slide into second base. He crushed a ball 110.8mph, showing his power, but in what has to be one of the unluckiest run of injuries, Davis suffered an injury to his left ankle and had to be carted off in Iowa.
Davis was a second round pick of the Cubs out of high school in 2018. The right-handed hitter broke out during the 2021 season and was primed to make his MLB debut as soon as the summer of 2022 if all went well in the first few months at Triple-A that year. Sadly, injury after injury has derailed any momentum made by Davis the past three years and now he may be the odd-man out once it comes to cuts on the 40-man roster this upcoming offseason.
You gotta feel for the guy.
(Previous Update)
Chicago Cubs prospect Brennen has not played since June 11 at Triple-A and on Tuesday we found out why the outfielder has been out of the Iowa Cubs lineup for the past three weeks. The former top prospect in the Cubs minor league system has suffered a back fracture and at this point there is no timetable for Davis’ return in 2024.
Davis, 24, has a brutal track record with injuries and his back has particularly been problematic since 2022. Now, after coming back from a couple surgeries in the last two years, Davis is set to miss more time this year and possibly the rest of the season.
The outfielder has played in 44 games at Triple-A this season. He has a slash line of .233/.395/.504, a 134 wRC+ in 172 plate appearances. He got off to a slow start in 2024, but Davis was finally looking like the top-30 prospect that he once was in 2022. From May 10 until his last game on June 11, Davis recorded a 188 wRC+ after slashing .279/.437/.721, with 9 home runs in 87 plate appearances.
Most of that damage came from a ridiculous 8-game stretch in May, when Davis crushed 8 home runs and batted .500 in 24 at-bats.
Davis’ stock was at an all-time high heading into the 2022 season, when several prospect writers thought he could make his MLB debut with the Cubs that summer if he continued his success at Triple-A. Davis had his breakout season in 2021, and was ranked as high as No. 15 on MLB Pipeline’s top-100 prospects list heading into 2022. It’s been a struggle for Davis ever since.
In June 2022, Davis underwent back surgery that sidelined him for a couple of months. Davis had already missed a month of action prior to that surgery. He struggled in 2023 and battled more injuries, including a muscle surgery. Davis only played in 124 games in 2022-23.
Throughout his time with the Cubs, Davis has missed time with a broken finger caused by a HBP, multiple concussions, hamstring issues and problems with his back. The Cubs added Davis the 40-man roster following the 2022 season, but after his latest back injury the future for Davis with this team is uncertain.
This sucks. A guy who was drafted out of high school in the second round, worked to completely change his swing, got better and right when he was on the cusp of the majors an avalanche health issues have followed.
The Cubs are going to have some difficult conversations about their roster in the offseason and unfortunately for Brennen Davis, his time with the Cubs could come to an end.