Chicago Cubs personnel and fans will have to stay patient a bit longer before 2025 first-round pick Ethan Conrad makes his professional debut. The 21-year-old out of Wake Forest slid to No. 17 in the draft largely because of a shoulder injury he suffered in April 2025 that required season-ending surgery.
While the Cubs were thrilled to see that misfortune work in their favor on draft day, Conrad has hit another snag. An unrelated injury will now push back his pro debut even further as he heads into 2026.
Outfielder Ethan Conrad to miss time with a back issue, thus delaying his organizational debut for the Chicago Cubs
According to Cubs director of player development Jason Kanzler, Conrad has been dealing with a back issue. There wasn’t an injury that caused this, so therefore they are going to be cautious with his return. Kanzler indicated that right now he anticipates Conrad will miss the first month of the minor league season.
That timeline isn’t devastating in the grand scheme, but it does continue a frustrating trend for a player the Cubs view as a high-upside bat. The organization will prioritize getting Conrad fully healthy over rushing him onto the field, especially after already navigating a major surgery on his shoulder just one year ago. Once he’s cleared, Conrad is expected to get regular reps in the outfield and begin building momentum in what the Cubs hope will still be a promising first full professional season.
With outfielders Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki both set to hit free agency at season’s end, getting an extended look at Conrad this year will offer valuable insight as to whether he’s on track for a big-league push in 2027. For now, that evaluation is on hold. The focus shifts to getting him healthy and back on the field, with the hope he can still perform at the level that convinced the Cubs to take him in the first round.
MLB writer predicts the Chicago Cubs will win the NL Central in 2026
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