Owen Caissie may be the biggest Kyle Tucker fan at the moment.
No player ever wants his teammate to be benched, but the temporary benching of Tucker has allowed Caissie to start in consecutive games and he is already making the most of his opportunity.
Caissie started in place of Tucker in right field for Game 1 of Tuesday’s doubleheader between the Brewers and Cubs and he made an impact right away.
After collecting his first major league hit on Monday, Caissie added a couple more firsts. He collected his first two RBI with a two-run single in the bottom of the first inning to get the Cubs on the board.
Caissie was quiet until the bottom of the sixth inning when he smashed a 381-foot home run to give Chicago a much-needed insurance run. It was the first major league home run of Caissie’s young career, and it came in just his third career start.
BIG RED ENERGY. pic.twitter.com/Uzj92CxcfO
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) August 19, 2025
The decision from manager Craig Counsell to bench Tucker has opened a door for Caissie to get consistent at-bats and it is already paying dividends. Caissie now has more home runs and extra-base hits than Tucker does in August.
Caissie got the starting nod in right field for Game 2 of the doubleheader on Tuesday and was part of Chicago’s 4-1 win. Caissie was 1-for-2 with an RBI single before being lifted for a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the fifth inning.
His performance capped off a three-hit, four RBI day at the plate. If Caissie continues to produce, Counsell will have to find a spot for him in the everyday lineup in hopes of sparking what has been an awful Cubs offense in the second half of the season.
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