Declining Cubs Prospect Hit With Injury Bug Again

This is just such a big bummer. Ever since Brennen Davis broke out and was starting to gain recognition as the best prospect in the Chicago Cubs system and one of the top prospects in baseball a few years ago, shit has hit the fan for the right-handed hitting outfielder.

In 2022, Davis struggled early on and then missed the majority of the season after undergoing surgery on his back to restore a nerve issue. His top prospect status took a hit heading into 2023 and back in May he was dropped out of MLB Pipeline's top-100 prospect list. Now, another setback for Davis, who is headed to the injured list with the Iowa Cubs in Triple-A.

On the positive side, according to Tommy Birch, this may be a precautionary move after Davis was removed from Tuesday night's game.

Davis, 23, has played in 45 games for the Iowa Cubs this season and although there have been a handful of good streaks mixed in, his overall numbers are ugly. He has a slash line of .197/.316/.299, with 3 home runs, 20 RBI, 19 runs scored, 9-for-12 in stolen base attempts, while drawing 18 walks and striking out 35 times in 187 plate appearances.

It's definitely a mystery at the plate this year for Davis because he has made great strides when it comes to cutting down on his strikeouts. Even when Davis broke out during the 2021 season, he ended the year with a strikeout rate of 28.6. But at the same time, it was encouraging to see that Davis was hitting for power and also put up an above average 12.2 walk rate that year.

Well, so far this year, Davis has cut down on the strikeouts, posting an 18.7 strikeout rate, the lowest mark for Davis since he played the first eight games of the 2021 minor league season in A-Ball. His walk rate has dipped, but it's still at a solid 9.6 percent, which has helped get his OBP above the .300 mark. However, the power has been almost non-existent for David this season at Triple-A.

Last year, with all his injury trouble, Davis posted a .319 slugging percentage, 4 home runs and 6 doubles in 174 plate appearances. Bad and it hasn't improved in 2023. Through 187 plate appearances this season, Davis only has 3 home runs and 7 doubles, getting him to a miserable .299 slugging percentage.

It's not much, but before this injury Davis was at least getting more positive results. He recorded at least one hit in 7 of his last 10 games, which also included three straight games with a double. Baby steps, but at least it was something in the right direction. Hopefully whatever the tweak he felt on the swing Tuesday night is a short-term injury and Davis can return as soon as possible.

It's so tough to make any judgement when prospects struggle and you feel worse when injuries are involved. Like, who knows with Davis, who is the youngest player at Triple-A on the Iowa Cubs, and despite being drafted in 2018, he has a total of 265 minor league games under his belt.