Top-10 Cubs Prospect Suffers Injury Setback
Tough break for Chicago Cubs prospect Jonathon Long, who left Saturday’s spring training game against the Texas Rangers with a left elbow strain. The 24-year-old had a collision at first base in the top of the fourth inning, when a errant throw from Jefferson Rojas pulled Long off the bag and directly in the path of Mark Canha.
Long was in obvious pain as he stumbled to the ground and after a quick talk with the team’s trainer Cubs manager Craig Counsell made the call to take Long out of the game.
The Cubs later announced that Long did indeed suffer a sprain in his left elbow.
A 2023 ninth-round pick out of Long Beach State, Long has entered the top-10 in the Cubs’ minor league system after a strong 2025 season with the Iowa Cubs at Triple-A. The right-handed hitter posted a 131 wRC+ in 607 plate appearances last year in the minors as Long became a steady force in Iowa’s lineup. He had a slash line of .305/.404/.479, and hit 20 home runs. Long recorded 91 RBI and scored 86 runs, while maintaining a 13 BB%.
Long was supposed to be part of Chinese Taipei’s team for the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Now, with the elbow injury his status is up in the air.
A brutal setback for a rising prospect as Long is on the short list of minor leaguers at Triple-A that could serve as depth for first base in case the Cubs suffer an injury in the majors. In the short term this incident may also cost Long the chance to participate in the World Baseball Classic.
Overall in his minor league career, Long has hit 44 home runs in 280 games, slashing a combined .294/.398/.479, in 1,000 at-bats. Long ended the 2025 season ranked No. 6, in MLB Pipeline’s top-30 Cubs prospect rankings.