Cubs add Kevin Alcántara, Ben Brown, Brennen Davis and Ryan Jensen to 40-man roster

On Tuesday’s deadline to add players to the 40-man roster for protection from the Rule 5 Draft, the Cubs added four key prospects, Kevin Alcántara, Ben Brown, Brennen Davis and Ryan Jensen.

Alcántara was acquired from the Yankees in 2021 as part of the deal that sent Anthony Rizzo to New York. Last year he hitast season hit .273/.360/.451 (117-for-428) with 19 doubles, six triples, 15 home runs and 15 stolen base in 112 games for Myrtle Beach. He is ranked the third-best prospect in the Cubs system by MLB.com.

Brown was acquired from the Phillies this past August in the deal that sent David Robertson to Philadelphia. He was the Phillies’ 33rd round pick in 2017 First-Year Player Draft out of Ward Melville High School in New York. Last year combined between High-A Jersey Shore and Tennessee he posted a 3.38 ERA (39 earned runs in 104 innings) and 1.173 WHIP in 23 games (22 starts). He averaged 12.9 strikeouts per nine innings and is the No. 7 prospect in the Cubs system according to MLB.com.

Davis was the Cubs’ second round pick in 2018 First-Year Player Draft, was limited to 53 games in 2022 with back injuries and later surgery, and later had to leave the Arizona Fall League with unrelated injury issues. He played in just 43 games in 2022 with Triple-A Iowa and batted .192/.322/.319 (27-for-141) with six doubles and four home runs.

Jensen was the Cubs’ first round pick (27th overall) in 2019 out of Fresno State and posted a 4.25 ERA and 1.399 WHIP in 17 starts for Double-A Tennessee in 2022. He was named Southern League Pitcher of the Week for August 8-14.

The Cubs’ 40-man roster now stands at 38 players.