Who is Owen Caissie? DH goes hitless in Major League debut for Cubs

Owen Caissie, the Chicago Cubs’ top prospect in minor league system, made his major league debut Thursday in Toronto but went 0-for-4 in a 2-1 loss to the Blue Jays.

Batting fifth as the designated hitter, the 23-year-old lined out twice and flied out against veteran right-hander Max Scherzer before striking out in the ninth against Jeff Hoffman, who earned the save.



Caissie, primarily an outfielder, was called up from Triple-A Iowa earlier in the day after catcher Miguel Amaya was placed on the injured list with a sprained left ankle.

The debut came close to home for Caissie, a Burlington, Ontario native, just a 70-minute drive from Rogers Centre. MLB Pipeline ranks him as the No. 45 overall prospect in baseball.


In 93 games for Iowa this season, Caissie hit .289 with 100 hits, 26 doubles, two triples, 22 home runs - including three multi-homer games in a five-game span last month - and 52 RBIs.

He was originally drafted in the second round in 2020 by the San Diego Padres, but never played in their system due to the pandemic-canceled minor league season. That December, he was traded to the Cubs in a seven-player deal that sent Yu Darvish and Victor Caratini to San Diego.


Amaya’s injury occurred Wednesday when he tripped at first base on an infield single during Chicago’s 4-1 win over Toronto. It was his first game back after missing 2 1/2 months with a strained left oblique. He had to be carted off the field, leading to Caissie’s timely promotion.