Moisés Ballesteros Apparently in Atlanta as Cubs’ Health Questions Persist

Craig Counsell told reporters after Sunday’s loss that he didn’t expect to have Kyle Tucker in Monday’s lineup, and that Pete Crow-Armstrong‘s status would be determined prior to the game. The team scratched Owen Caissie from the Iowa Cubs’ Friday contest and brought him to Chicago in the event that Tucker would need an IL stint, but opted instead to play shorthanded all weekend. They were down two men on Sunday with PCA nursing a sore knee from a foul ball, and now they may be without their closer as well.

Daniel Palencia‘s replacement is a different story, but it looks like the club may be preparing for a few more days without one of its outfielders. As the infamous Crawly pointed out, Moisés Ballesteros posted an image from Atlanta restaurant Le Colonial to his Instagram story. Given that the I-Cubs were just home against Omaha and are prepping to play in Indianapolis this week, it’s safe to say Mo Baller is in Georgia as a precaution.

Moises Ballesteros in Atlanta according to his Instagram. Kyle Tucker to the IL? #Cubs pic.twitter.com/FYDsSyNz2k

— Crawly’s Cubs Kingdom (@crawlyscubs) September 8, 2025

It would be a little odd to have brought Caissie to Chicago and then not activate him, only to call Ballesteros up two days later instead. Then again, Caissie saw about as much playing time this weekend as he would have had he been on the roster. It’s not really a matter of matchups because both young players bat from the left side and the Braves have righty starters going in the first two games of the series.

Perhaps this is just a backstop in the event that both Tucker and PCA need to be placed on the 10-day IL. We’ll find out soon enough.