2026 Iowa Cubs Position Previews: Second Base

This week’s previews of the potential opening night roster for the Iowa Cubs will be focused on the infield. I anticipate the infield group featuring the usual mix of up-and-coming prospects playing alongside veterans with MLB experience. The common thread among all the players is positional versatility. Most of these players will rotate among three or four different positions, including time in the outfield. With that being said, today’s preview focuses on second base.

In Chicago, Nico Hoerner enters the final year of his three-year deal with the Cubs. Over the last four seasons, he has played in a minimum of 135 games and provided excellent defense on the right side of the infield. He has also grown into a threat at the top of the order with elite contact skills, resulting in a tremendous postseason showing last fall when he hit .419. In many ways, Hoerner feels like the embodiment of the Cubs resurgence and quest for a division title. On the few days he takes off, it is likely that Matt Shaw will take over the second base reps as part of his new super-utility role. Shaw was the primary third baseman for much of the 2025 campaign, playing superb defense but suffering from some inconsistency at the plate in his rookie campaign. With Alex Bregman starting at third base, Shaw figures to provide depth just about everywhere this season.

I think it’s likely that there will be four or five different players that play regularly at second base this season in Iowa. For the sake of these previews, I decided to avoid listing them each here and instead divided them by where I anticipate they will each spend most of their time. Hence, guys like Hayden Cantrelle, Owen Miller and Scott Kingery will appear in my deep dive into other spots on the infield. Our second base preview will focus on James Triantos and Karson Simas.

James Triantos

A unanimous top ten prospect in the Cubs organization, Triantos spent the entire 2025 season, minus a brief rehab stint in South Bend, with the I-Cubs. Despite the injury, he played in over 100 games in Des Moines with 66 starts coming at second base. Since I mentioned positional versatility above, it is worth noting that he also played a career-high 37 games in the outfield and it sounds like the plan is to continue to use him in that fashion in 2026. Always known for his bat-to-ball ability and speed, Triantos seems likely to return to Iowa and will hope to build on his first full season in Triple-A. 2025 represented career-lows in batting average, OBP and OPS but it’s important to remember that Triantos was just 22-years-old for the entire season and was banged up. He was added to the 40-man roster this winter and is poised to make his Major League debut in the near future.

Karson Simas

The 24-year-old son of former White Sox reliever Bill Simas could open the season with the I-Cubs or break camp with Double-A Knoxville, neither scenario would be surprising. A new member of the organization after signing in late January, Simas played the first six years of his career in the farm system of the Red Sox who drafted him back in 2019. Sticking with the theme of being versatile, Simas has played every positional except pitcher and catcher during his professional career. In 2025, he spent time with three different Boston affiliates, spending most of the year in Double-A. However, during a 19-game stint with Triple-A Worcester, Simas hit .328 and collected nine runs batted in. He started games at six different positions last season but 41 of those games at second base which is why I decided to list him here. Whether he starts the year with the I-Cubs or not, it seems like a safe bet that he will on the roster at some point in 2026.

Other Positions:

Starting Pitchers

Bullpen

Catcher

First Base

Third Base