Not only did the Chicago Cubs lose their second straight game to the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night, they also lost their gold-glove left fielder in the process. Ian Happ fouled a ball off his left shin in the eighth inning and was removed from the game in Milwaukee. Now, Happ is headed to the injured list and the Cubs are turning to one of their hard-hitting prospects from Triple-A.
Ian Happ unexpectedly going on IL
At first, Cubs fans thought they dodged a bullet with Happ, who said after the 9-3 loss in Milwaukee that the main reason he left the game was because he felt light-headed from the pain to his leg rather than the actual foot injury. “Just squared it, up,” Happ said after the game. “Felt a little light-headed there and didn’t want to pass out on the field, so made my way down the tunnel.”
The team said x-rays were negative Tuesday night.
Happ said X-rays were negative. Said leaving the game had more to do with feeling light-headed from the pain. https://t.co/Lb463jONIq
— Jared Wyllys (@jwyllys) July 30, 2025
Both Happ and his manager Craig Counsell seemed optimistic that no extended time off would be needed when talking to the media postgame.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell downplayed the idea of making a roster move before Wednesday. The Cubs have the benefit of an off day on Thursday – the MLB trade deadline – and could give Happ consecutive days off to try and allow him to heal. They can also backdate a stint on the injured list three days. “We’ll see what the situation is with him,” Counsell said. “I wouldn’t rule him out being available, either. So we’ll just see what we got.”
Then, an hour later ESPN's Jesse Rogers reported that Happ would indeed require a stint on the 10-day injured list and that the Cubs would replace his spot on the roster with 21-year-old catcher/DH Moises Ballesteros.
Looks like the Happ injury might require an IL stint. The team is calling up Moises Ballesteros from Triple-A, per a source. He’s hitting .331 down there. He had a cup of coffee with the big league team earlier this year. https://t.co/e9RhWWaQUn
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) July 30, 2025
Cubs beat reporter Jordan Bastian also reported that the team is preparing to call up Ballesteros on Wednesday prior to Chicago's series finale in Milwaukee.
Honestly did not expect Ian Happ to hit the IL based on the postgame comments from him and from Craig Counsell. X-rays were negative, Happ said, so it's a surprise to see things shift like this.
— Jared Wyllys (@jwyllys) July 30, 2025
Happ, 30, is having a down season for the Cubs. The switch-hitter has a .705 OPS with a slash line of .227/.324/.380, and 14 home runs in 97 games. Yet, the timing couldn't be worse for him as Happ was finally showing signs of breaking out of a prolonged slump. In his previous 13 games, including Tuesday, Happ was up to a 120 wRC+, slashing .250/.340/.432. The improved performance began after Happ was removed from the leadoff role heading into the Cubs' series against the New York Yankees prior to the All-Star break.
Happ is a career 115 wRC+ hitter and had really come into his own since becoming the every-day left fielder in 2022, winning the last three gold glove awards at the positiion. From 2022-24, Happ posted a combined 120 wRC+.
This is now Happ's second stint on the injured list in 2025. He was sidelined back in May because of an oblique injury, but only missed the minimum 10 days.
Moises Ballesteros gets another chance
The Cubs promoted their top catching prospect in May, when Happ first landed on the injured list this year. Ballesteros went 3-for-16, with a pair of walks in five games. Nothing spectacular, but Ballesteros hasn't stopped hitting in Triple-A, as the No. 2 prospect for the Cubs has a 127 wRC+ with the Iowa Cubs this season.
The left-handed hitter is currently slashing .332/.393/.496, with nine home runs in 85 games in the minors this season, while also posting a 9.2 BB%. Ballesteros has excellent bat to ball skills and has only struck out in 13% of his plate appearances, bringing that number down from 21% last year at Triple-A.
Ask anyone who's watched him play and they'll all say the same thing. This kid can hit, making him a potential trade chip.
I asked Miguel Amaya about his impressions of Cubs catching prospect Moises Ballesteros who took over for him after he left the game tonight.
— Tommy Birch (@TommyBirch) July 30, 2025
Amaya: "The kid rakes."
Ballesteros made it up to Triple-A last year in his age-20 season. Questions surrounding his defense will continue, but the bat plays and that's exactly why the Cubs are giving him another shot in the majors despite the team also having a few other top outfield prospects on the 40-man roster.
With Happ out, Cubs fans should expect to see more Seiya Suzuki in left field. Ballesteros should get his fair share of plate appearances at DH against right-handed pitching.