Cubs Notes and Recaps

Alcantara finished June with three straight multi-hit efforts, going 7-for-11 with two doubles, two home runs and seven RBI.

Alcantara is heating up, and he finished June (the Iowa Cubs are off Monday) with a .306/.383/.486 slash line for the month in 21 games. The 22-year-old outfielder is one of Chicago’s top prospects and is knocking on the door of the majors, though he’s blocked in the outfield by the likes of Kyle Tucker, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki. Alcantara did make his MLB debut toward the end of 2024, appearing in three contests, but he may need to be patient before earning a longer look with the Cubs. Fantasy managers should keep a close eye on the youngster due to his upside and recent performance.

Taillon (7-6) took the loss Sunday against Houston, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk over 4.2 innings. He struck out four.

Taillon couldn’t complete five innings Sunday, as the Astros worked him up to 107 pitches before a two-run home run by Jose Altuve prompted manager Craig Counsell to pull Taillon. Taillon has surrendered six home runs in his last three starts, going 0-3 with a 10.66 ERA and nine strikeouts over 12.2 innings during that stretch. He’ll look to get back on track against the Cardinals next weekend.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Thursday that Morgan (elbow) is seeking a second opinion on his injury after he suffered a setback during his second rehab appearance with Triple-A Iowa on June 17, MLB.com reports.

Counsell didn’t go into specifics regarding a treatment plan for Morgan, but the fact that the right-hander requires a second opinion suggests that surgery could be on the table. Morgan has been on the injured list since April 15 due to right elbow neuritis.