Chicago Cubs prospect Alexander Canario earns his 1st major-league call-up after overcoming devastating injuries – The Denver Post

Nothing about Alexander Canario’s baseball future felt guaranteed in the moments after his devastating injury nearly 10 months ago.

He thought his baseball career might be over when he required surgery to repair a fractured left ankle and separated left shoulder following a devastatingly freak moment from hitting first base while playing winter ball. Months of rehab included his mother, Juana González, helping him because of how limited Canario became after two surgeries.

Canario’s extensive rehab process paid off Friday when the Cubs called him up before their doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds along with right-hander Shane Greene from Triple-A Iowa.

“I never doubted that I was going to be able to achieve this,” Canario said through an interpreter before the Cubs’ 6-2 Game 1 win. “I definitely see the injury as part of the progress. Everything happens for a reason.”

The Cubs lost the nightcap 3-2 after the Reds rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth off closer Adbert Alzolay to earn the split.

Canario returned in June but needed a few weeks to get his timing down. He was scorching in August, producing a 305/.356/.632 slash line with seven home runs and 10 doubles in 23 games.

Canario, 23, was acquired from the San Francisco Giants at the 2021 trade deadline for Kris Bryant. He is ranked the Cubs’ No. 14 prospect by MLB.com and Baseball America. He was not in the lineup for either doubleheader game.

“Everybody thinks at some point that you definitely want to get the call,” Canario said. “But coming back from an injury … and everything just happened.”

Greene, 34, took one of the two open 40-man roster spots. He appeared in two big-league games in 2022 with the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees. He owned a 2.16 ERA in five starts with Iowa, walking nine and striking out 20 in 16 2/3 innings.

When Greene signed with the Cubs this summer, he made a case to start, and with injuries mounting at Triple A, it created an opportunity for the veteran. He recognized how “everybody that comes out of the bullpen throws 100 mph nowadays and I don’t.” Greene believed he could prove to the organization he was capable of getting guys out over multiple innings and giving the team a chance to win “would add value to the business of Shane Greene.”

Canario and Greene likely won’t stick on the roster for the entirety of September. The Cubs are expected to use the two additional spots on the 28-man roster to address needed over the next four weeks. Adding a lefty reliever at some point is a priority. An open 40-man roster spot creates a little flexibility to tap into other options at Triple A.

All of those factors were under consideration when the Cubs weighed their call-up options for Friday.

“We had to think about what would happen after a doubleheader,” President Jed Hoyer said Friday. “You almost never have a doubleheader day without transactions afterward, so we had to keep that in mind. … We’re going to have a lot of roster moves. We’re in a pennant race and the rules have changed and this isn’t before Sept. 1 of the old days when you call everyone up and there’s no more options. There will be a lot of moves.”

Hoyer doesn’t expect Canario’s development to be hindered, calling his big-league bench role a “pause” to the everyday playing he got at Iowa. Hoyer added they aren’t going to put Canario in a position in which he won’t play the entire month, another indicator that this is might be a temporary promotion. No matter how long the opportunity with the Cubs, Canario’s perseverance in overcoming two significant injuries is a testament to his work ethic and determination.

“There’s not going to be a ton of at-bats in that position,” Hoyer said, “but hopefully he’ll get in there in the right moment and get his debut under his belt and come up big for us.”

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