With the success of the Chicago Cubs' top-ranked prospects who have already made their Major League debuts in 2014, it would appear that the next logical step would involve the call-up of slugging third baseman Kris Bryant, the organization's #1 prospect and Major League Baseball's #3 overall prospect as of August, 2014. However, that call-up will not happen this season.

MLB.com's Carrie Muskat reported that the Cubs -- although not surprisingly --  officially announced on August 29 that they will not bring Bryant to the Major Leagues when the rosters expand on Monday, September 1. Rather, they will allow Bryant to finish his Triple-A season on Monday and take a much-needed break.

Settle down, #Cubs fans. Kris Bryant is not being called up

— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) August 29, 2014

On Friday, Muskat quoted Cubs manager Jed Hoyer explaining the situation. Hoyer gave two main reasons for the decision. First, Bryant is not on the Cubs' 40-man roster. Second, Bryant just completed his first full season in the Minor Leagues, playing more games than he has ever played in a single year -- hence, the necessary time off. Said Hoyer,

"He's not on the roster, so right away [if he was called up] that would knock off another player off the roster. We're going to be really tight with the roster, and we know that. We feel in his first full season, he's going to get 140 plus games, he's played exceptionally well -- nothing has changed on that front [as far as calling him up]."

This decision could understandably frustrate Cub fans who cannot wait another six months to see Bryant play again. After all, Bryant (age 22) has put up totals of .326/.438/.669, 43 HR, and 109 RBI in 135 games through August 29. He split his time between Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa. He appears to have nothing left to prove in the Minor Leagues, which was the very reason Hoyer gave for calling up Jorge Soler  one week ahead of the September roster expnasion.

Hoyer's reasoning, though, has merit. Bryant has played a total of 171 Minor League games, just over one full season (he still has three more in 2014). Most of the other big-name prospects -- notably Arismendy Alcantara, Javier Baez, and Kyle Hendricks -- have all played multiple-seasons' worth of games in the Minors before making their Big-League debuts with the Cubs. Soler (only 151 Minor League games) is an excpetion, but the Cubs are auditioning outfielders. Junior Lake has not panned out yet. He will get another chance in September, but he could possibly find himself on a new team in the future as the Cubs try to find more pitching. Bryant is the third baseman of the future, and Hoyer already knows what the kid can do. It is just a matter of finding the right time to bring him up.

Giving Bryant the time off during the offseason will allow his body to adjust to a full season without overload. The Minor League season lasts 144 games, so he is already finishing a hefty load. Then, he should rest well for Spring Training in February and have a legitamite chance at making the Major League roster -- if not to start the 2015 season then not long into it. In addition, should the Cubs decide that Bryant needs more playing time during the offseason, he could find himself in the Arizona Fall League as he did last year.

The plan is working. Gradually, the Cubs' top prospects are making their ways to Wrigley Field to stay. They have had success so far, and they will all have their periods of struggles as well. It is a learning process, but it will pay big dividends in the near furture. Bryant will join them. It will not happen this year, but Cub fans can look forward to seeing Kris Bryant in a Major-League uniform before too long. If any team's fan base has the patience to wait it out, it is that of the Chicago Cubs.