Alexander Canario #4 of the Chicago Cubs at bat during his MLB debut. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
The Chicago Cubs called up Dominican Republic outfield prospect Alexander Canario, Jon Morosi of MLB Network, and Jesse Rogers of ESPN reported on April 15.
Canario will take over right fielder Seiya Suzuki’s spot on the roster. He made his 2024 debut on Monday, April 15, when he pinch-ran for Garrett Cooper in the top of the 11th inning of their game against the Diamondbacks.
Canario, 23, was born in Montecristi, Dominican Republic, and is ranked No. 10 in the Cubs organization, according to MLBpipeline.com.
Canario has played seven seasons in the minors with the San Francisco Giants from 2017-19 and has been with the Cubs since 2021.
He played in 23 games during spring training with the Cubs. He batted .226 in 63 plate appearances, recording 12 hits, four doubles, one triple, two RBI, three stolen bases, ten walks, and 15 strikeouts before being optioned to Triple-A Iowa on March 25.
Canario played in 13 games with Iowa to start the 2024 season and hit .269 with 61 plate appearances and ripped 14 hits, five doubles, two home runs, seven RBI, eight walks, and 15 strikeouts before being called up.
Last winter league season, Canario played 16 games in LIDOM with Aguilas Cibaenas and batted .256 with 68 plate appearances, cracking 14 hits, four doubles, nine RBI, eight walks, and 17 strikeouts before spring training.
Canario has played one season in the bigs with the Cubs from last season when he was called up on September 1, 2023, and debuted on September 6 at home against the San Francisco Giants. In six games with the Cubs, he batted .294 with 17 plate appearances, smacking five hits, one double, one triple, one home run, six RBI, and eight strikeouts.
In 2023, he played 53 games between the Arizona Complex Level, High-A South Bend, and Triple-A Iowa. Canario batted .273 with 233 plate appearances, slugging 56 hits, 15 doubles, one triple, nine home runs, 47 RBI, 25 walks, 64 strikeouts, and a .844 OPS.
Canario landed on the 60-day injured list on April 13, 2023. He suffered a broken left ankle and dislocated his left shoulder, and he was not activated until his rehab assignment at the complex in Arizona on June 15, 2023.
Canario played in 10 games with Aguilas Cibaenas during the 2022-23 winter league season and batted .172 in 33 plate appearances with five hits, two doubles, one triple, one home run, three RBI, four walks, and 12 strikeouts.
In 2022, Canario played at three levels: High-A South Bend, Double-A Tennessee, and Triple-A Iowa. He played in 125 games at all three levels and batted .273 with 233 plate appearances, smacking 56 hits, 15 doubles, one triple, nine home runs, 47 RBI, 25 walks, 64 strikeouts, and a .844 OPS.
Canario has played 468 games during his seven seasons in the minors and has a lifetime average of .264 with 2,031 plate appearances with 469 hits, 108 doubles, 15 triples, 93 home runs, 326 RBI, 76 stolen bases, 215 walks, 522 strikeouts, and a .847 OPS.