Owen Caissie’s first stint in MLB perhaps ended a bit earlier than many Cubs fans expected.

The team announced Monday it was optioning the 23-year-old outfielder back to Triple-A Iowa after just 24 big-league at-bats. Kevin Alcántara, the Cubs’ No. 5 prospect who made his debut last September, was called up in a corresponding move.

Caissie’s call-up and subsequent debut in Toronto on Aug. 14 came with a lot of fanfare — the highly-touted, sweet-swinging top prospect was making waves in Triple-A Iowa, and it just so happened that Miguel Amaya’s late-inning ankle sprain the night before meant Caissie would get to make somewhat of an emergency debut in his home country.

As it goes for many young players adjusting to MLB pitching for the first time, the growing pains were evident. Caissie went 0-for-7 to start his big-league career before notching a single on a 100-mph pitch from Milwaukee Brewers reliever Abner Uribe for his first career hit. His breakout came the following day, when he went 2-for-5 with three RBI, including his first home run.

But Caissie’s playing time after that was sparse. He made just four appearances on the Cubs’ nine-game road trip out West, starting one game. He didn’t feature at all in the series against the Colorado Rockies.

With the Cubs’ everyday outfield of Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker all healthy and Seiya Suzuki occupying the designated hitter role, there really was no room for Caissie to get regular reps.

“We’ve got a very productive outfield. That means it’s hard to get playing time in the outfield,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters at Wrigley Field on Monday.

Simply put, Caissie would be better off sharpening his skills in Iowa in his own everyday role instead of riding the bench when he doesn’t need to be. That’s essentially how the conversation with Caissie went, Counsell told reporters.

“You got your first experience here,” Counsell said. “(I) kind of very clearly (explained), ‘Why you’re going down is to play because you haven’t been playing. Your major league season is not over.’

“When you get sent down at this time of year, sometimes you think, ‘My major league season could be over.’ I think it’s important for him not to think that,” Counsell told reporters.

Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer echoed Counsell’s words.

“Having prospects up here on the bench, I think it’s really difficult,” Hoyer told reporters at Wrigley Field on Monday. “Those guys aren’t used to that role. They’re used to playing every single day.”

As a left-handed hitter, Caissie played almost exclusively as a platoon bat versus righties. His one at-bat against a left-handed pitcher ended in a strikeout.

The Cubs’ struggles against left-handed starters as a whole have been amplified this season: Against southpaw starters, they own a 17-19 (.472) record. Against righties, they’re 61-40 (.604).

That’s where Alcántara comes into play. Hoyer emphasized that the outfielder’s right-handed bat could be of use to the Cubs, especially amid Pete Crow-Armstrong’s offensive struggles.

“I think that bringing Kevin up, he can play center field against lefties,” Hoyer said. “We’re hoping to give Pete some more days off — you want him fresh and playing well. So that was the mindset.”

Rest assured, Cubs fans didn’t see the last of Caissie. While his time in the big leagues may have come to an end for now, Counsell was confident that this stint was incredibly valuable for the young prospect.

“The other thing is to just reflect on what happened here,” Counsell told reporters. “As you go the other direction, it’s a good time to do that, really kind of take stock of that.

“It’s for him to understand it, and so he can be better with some things the next time around.”