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Long (elbow) will not join Team Chinese Taipei for the World Baseball Classic, deciding instead to stay in camp to focus on his rehab, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
Long has been dealing with a left elbow sprain and has been on the mend over the past week. His original plan was to simply delay his departure for the WBC, but now the 24-year-old has opted to instead stick with the Cubs. While it's a disappointing development for Long, the decision makes sense in terms of getting fully healthy for the regular season. The youngster figures to start the year with Triple-A Iowa, where he'll look to build on the 20 home runs and .885 OPS he posted across 140 games at the same level in 2025.
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Cubs' Jonathon Long: Swings bat Tuesday
Rotowire
Cubs manager Craig Counsell said that Long (elbow) took some swings Tuesday and feels better, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Long suffered a sprained left (non-throwing) elbow on a collision at first base over the weekend, but he's on the mend. The 24-year-old had planned to leave Tuesday for Japan to join Team Chinese Taipei for the World Baseball Classic, but he will delay his departure until Friday. It would appear the Cubs plan to give the go-ahead for Long to play in the WBC.
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Cubs' Jonathon Long: Diagnosed with elbow sprain
Rotowire
Long exited Saturday's Cactus League game against Texas with a sprained left elbow, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
The 24-year-old prospect suffered the injury while attempting to catch a wide throw to first base that put his arm in the path of Mark Canha, leading to a collision. Long will likely miss some time while he recovers, though it's still unknown whether his injury will impact his availability for the start of the regular season.
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Cubs' Jonathon Long: Injures wrist Saturday
Rotowire
Long was removed from Saturday's Cactus League game against the Rangers with an apparent left wrist injury, Matthew Postins of SI.com reports.
Mark Canha ran into Long's arm while the latter was attempting to catch a wide throw to first base in the fourth inning. The severity of Long's injury isn't immediately clear, but the Cubs should provide more information on his status in the near future.
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Cubs' Jonathon Long: Invited to camp
Rotowire
The Cubs invited Long to major-league spring training on Monday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
Long spent all of last season with Triple-A Iowa, where he sported a .307/.405/.480 slash line and mashed 20 home runs across 140 games. The 24-year-old is blocked at first base in the majors by Michael Busch, who had a breakout 2025 campaign. The offseason signing of Tyler Austin as a potential short-side platoon partner for Busch or Moises Ballesteros further blocks the righty-hitting Long, as the Cubs are unlikely to carry two righty-hitting first basemen at a time and Long isn't on the 40-man roster.
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Cubs' Jonathon Long: Hits 20th homer
Rotowire
Long is slashing .311/.410/.492 with 20 home runs, a 13.2 percent walk rate and a 19.1 percent strikeout rate in 132 games for Triple-A Iowa.
The righty-hitting first baseman did everything in his power to force a promotion to the big leagues, but he's not on the 40-man roster and there's a logjam ahead of him on the organizational depth chart. Long has dabbled at third base and in left field, but it's unlikely the Cubs would play him at either of those positions in the majors. Michael Busch starts at first base against righties and Seiya Suzuki has started 102 games at designated hitter this year, with prospects who are on the 40-man like Moises Ballesteros, Owen Caissie and Kevin Alcantara also muddying Long's playing time outlook for 2026. Despite Long's stellar age-23 campaign, he won't need to be added to the 40-man roster this offseason, so he will probably return to Triple-A next year for an indefinite period.
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Cubs' Jonathon Long: Back in action at Triple-A
Rotowire
Long (leg) struck out in a pinch-hit appearance Tuesday in Triple-A Iowa's 3-2 loss to Columbus.
Long exited Iowa's game Saturday due to a tight leg muscle, and then sat out Sunday. After a team off day Monday, Long remained out of the lineup Tuesday, but his usage off the bench suggests that he'll avoid a stint on the 7-day injured list. It's unclear how soon he might resume playing either corner-infield spot, but Iowa could deploy him at designated hitter to keep his bat in the lineup. The 23-year-old is slashing .368/.429/.533 with a 9.5 percent walk rate and 25.3 percent strikeout rate in his first season at Triple-A.
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Cubs' Jonathon Long: Exits Triple-A game early
Rotowire
Long left Saturday's game for Triple-A Iowa due to a tight leg muscle, Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register reports.
Long is slashing .367/.429/.533 with four home runs, two steals, a 9.5 percent walk rate and a 24.9 percent strikeout rate in his first 40 games at Triple-A. His 33.9 percent hard-hit rate is strong, but Long's .486 BABIP illustrates his good fortune in the early going. He hasn't been placed on Iowa's injured list and should be considered day-to-day for now.
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