Jonathon Long

Analysis
The righty-hitting first baseman did everything in his power to force a promotion to the big leagues, but he's not on the 40-man roster and there's a logjam ahead of him on the organizational depth chart. Long has dabbled at third base and in left field, but it's unlikely the Cubs would play him at either of those positions in the majors. Michael Busch starts at first base against righties and Seiya Suzuki has started 102 games at designated hitter this year, with prospects who are on the 40-man like Moises Ballesteros, Owen Caissie and Kevin Alcantara also muddying Long's playing time outlook for 2026. Despite Long's stellar age-23 campaign, he won't need to be added to the 40-man roster this offseason, so he will probably return to Triple-A next year for an indefinite period.