{"id":162950,"date":"2026-03-21T15:00:26","date_gmt":"2026-03-21T20:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/?p=162950"},"modified":"2026-03-21T12:27:41","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T17:27:41","slug":"chicago-cubs-2026-spring-breakout-roster-jonathon-long","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/chicago-cubs-2026-spring-breakout-roster-jonathon-long\/","title":{"rendered":"Which Cubs&#8217; top prospect in Spring Breakout will reach the big leagues first?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"flex flex-col text-sm pb-25\">\n<section class=\"text-token-text-primary w-full focus:outline-none [--shadow-height:45px] has-data-writing-block:pointer-events-none has-data-writing-block:-mt-(--shadow-height) has-data-writing-block:pt-(--shadow-height) [&amp;:has([data-writing-block])&gt;*]:pointer-events-auto scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]\" dir=\"auto\" data-turn-id=\"request-WEB:e7a6f8ac-f474-4b10-9869-e0b9c367238b-1\" data-testid=\"conversation-turn-4\" data-scroll-anchor=\"true\" data-turn=\"assistant\">\n<div class=\"text-base my-auto mx-auto pb-10 [--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-xs,calc(var(--spacing)*4))] @w-sm\/main:[--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-sm,calc(var(--spacing)*6))] @w-lg\/main:[--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-lg,calc(var(--spacing)*16))] px-(--thread-content-margin)\">\n<div class=\"[--thread-content-max-width:40rem] @w-lg\/main:[--thread-content-max-width:48rem] mx-auto max-w-(--thread-content-max-width) flex-1 group\/turn-messages focus-visible:outline-hidden relative flex w-full min-w-0 flex-col agent-turn\">\n<div class=\"flex max-w-full flex-col gap-4 grow\">\n<div class=\"min-h-8 text-message relative flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 text-start break-words whitespace-normal outline-none keyboard-focused:focus-ring [.text-message+&amp;]:mt-1\" dir=\"auto\" data-message-author-role=\"assistant\" data-message-id=\"a59918ea-2a86-40a9-a58a-cc6c5afc3034\" data-message-model-slug=\"gpt-5-3\" data-turn-start-message=\"true\">\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden\">\n<div class=\"markdown prose dark:prose-invert w-full wrap-break-word dark markdown-new-styling\">\n<p data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"233\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlb.com\/cubs\/news\/cubs-spring-breakout-roster-2026?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage\">Chicago Cubs\u2019 2026 Spring Breakout roster<\/a> includes multiple MLB Pipeline Top 30 prospects, most notably all 10 infielders. With three pitchers and two catchers also ranking in the Top 30, it\u2019s an impressive looking group. Of the players on the roster, one player in particular stands out as someone who could impact the big league club in 2026.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"233\">Chicago Cubs prospect Jonathon Long could be the first prospect on the Spring Breakout roster to reach the big leagues<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_160768\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-160768\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-160768\" src=\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/USATSI_26841168_168422142_lowres-900x600.jpg\" alt=\"Chicago Cubs, Cubs News, Jonathan Long\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-160768\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Iowa Cubs first baseman Jonathon Long catches a ball during game two of an Iowa Cubs\/Worcester Red Sox series at Principal Park on Aug. 13, 2025, in Des Moines.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Ranked No. 7 in the organization, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/chicago-cubs-prospects-trade-winter-meetings\/\">Long is firmly in the mix to make an impact in Chicago at some point this season<\/a>. The first baseman suffered an elbow injury early in Spring Training, which f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/chicago-cubs-jonathon-long-injury-update-elbow\/\">orced him to miss the World Baseball Classic<\/a>, but manager Craig Counsell recently noted that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/2026\/03\/19\/chicago-cubs-notes-jonathon-long-shota-imanaga-spring\/\">Long remains a candidate for a bench spot on the major league roster<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden\">\n<div class=\"markdown prose dark:prose-invert w-full wrap-break-word dark markdown-new-styling\">\n<p data-start=\"477\" data-end=\"794\">That said, Long\u2019s path,and his ability to stick in the majors if he does break camp, is somewhat unclear. At the moment, he profiles as a backup first baseman, designated hitter, or pinch-hit option. However, once Tyler Austin fully recovers from offseason knee surgery, Long could find himself squeezed out of a role.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"796\" data-end=\"1032\">Ultimately, regular MLB at-bats may be hard to come by right away, making a start at Triple-A the more likely scenario. Even so, he stands out as the most likely player on the Cubs\u2019 Spring Breakout roster to reach the big leagues first.<\/p>\n<div class=\"flex flex-col text-sm\">\n<section class=\"text-token-text-primary w-full focus:outline-none [--shadow-height:45px] has-data-writing-block:pointer-events-none has-data-writing-block:-mt-(--shadow-height) has-data-writing-block:pt-(--shadow-height) [&amp;:has([data-writing-block])&gt;*]:pointer-events-auto scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]\" dir=\"auto\" data-turn-id=\"request-WEB:e7a6f8ac-f474-4b10-9869-e0b9c367238b-2\" data-testid=\"conversation-turn-6\" data-scroll-anchor=\"true\" data-turn=\"assistant\">\n<div class=\"text-base my-auto mx-auto pb-10 [--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-xs,calc(var(--spacing)*4))] @w-sm\/main:[--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-sm,calc(var(--spacing)*6))] @w-lg\/main:[--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-lg,calc(var(--spacing)*16))] px-(--thread-content-margin)\">\n<div class=\"[--thread-content-max-width:40rem] @w-lg\/main:[--thread-content-max-width:48rem] mx-auto max-w-(--thread-content-max-width) flex-1 group\/turn-messages focus-visible:outline-hidden relative flex w-full min-w-0 flex-col agent-turn\">\n<div class=\"flex max-w-full flex-col gap-4 grow\">\n<div class=\"min-h-8 text-message relative flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 text-start break-words whitespace-normal outline-none keyboard-focused:focus-ring [.text-message+&amp;]:mt-1\" dir=\"auto\" data-message-author-role=\"assistant\" data-message-id=\"fbae1ec7-f07f-450e-83cd-761c163699b9\" data-message-model-slug=\"gpt-5-3\" data-turn-start-message=\"true\">\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden\">\n<div class=\"markdown prose dark:prose-invert w-full wrap-break-word dark markdown-new-styling\">\n<p data-start=\"1034\" data-end=\"1216\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">The Spring Breakout game is scheduled for Saturday night, March 21, with first pitch set for 8:05 p.m. CT. Fans can watch on MLB.TV, MLB.com, the MLB App, Marquee, SDPA, and Gameday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pointer-events-none h-px w-px absolute bottom-0\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-edge=\"true\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Chicago Cubs\u2019 2026 Spring Breakout roster includes multiple MLB Pipeline Top 30 prospects, most notably all 10 infielders. With three pitchers and two catchers also ranking in the Top 30, it\u2019s an impressive looking group. Of the players on the roster, one player in particular stands out as someone who could impact the big<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":538,"featured_media":146260,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6865,7436,74],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-162950","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago-cubs-news","8":"category-chicago-cubs-prospects","9":"category-chicagocubs"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.2 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Which Cubs&#039; top prospect in Spring Breakout will reach the big leagues first?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"With a loaded roster, one player stands out in particular as someone who could impact the Chicago Cubs this year, as soon as Opening Day\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/chicago-cubs-2026-spring-breakout-roster-jonathon-long\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Which Cubs&#039; 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