Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full) 

28 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, and twelve players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors. 

Last updated 3-26-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 15
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Caleb Kilian
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
Jameson Taillon
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

INFIELDERS: 7
* Michael Busch 
Nico Hoerner
Nick Madrigal
* Miles Mastrobuoni
Christopher Morel
Dansby Swanson
Patrick Wisdom

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Cody Bellinger 
Alexander Canario
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

OPTIONED: 12 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Ben Brown, P 
Alexander Canario, OF 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Keegan Thompson, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 
Hayden Wesneski, P 

 



 

Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Game 151 Thread/Reds @ Cubs (1 of 3)

Game Chat : BR Preview : Game Notes Bronson Arroyo vs. Rich Hill Lineups:
N. Hopper CF A. Soriano LF
J. Keppinger SS R. Theriot SS
K. Griffey RF D. Lee 1B
B. Phillips 2B A. Ramirez 3B
A. Dunn LF C. Floyd RF
E. Encarnacion 3B M. DeRosa 2B
J. Cantu 1B J. Jones CF
D. Ross C J. Kendall C
B. Arroyo P R. Hill P
The Reds lead the season series, 7-5, and have taken three of the four series between the teams, including both sets at Wrigley. Interestingly, the Cubs have outscored Cincinnati by a whopping 63-45 in the 12 games. Arroyo is 0-2 this season against the Cubs with one well-pitched no-decision (4 hits, 2 earned runs in 7 2/3 IP); Hill has a win and an ND against the Reds this year. The victory was a 7-0 whitewash back in April, against Arroyo. All in all, the skies may be getting sunnier for the Red Legs. The team has been playing well (37-30) since Pete Mackanin became manager, and since the last time the Cubs and Reds met, Cincy summoned first baseman Joey Votto to the big club. In Votto (.438 AVG and 1.264 OPS in 32 AB), Edwin Encarnacion, Norris Hopper, Jeff Keppinger, Brandon Phillips and minor league stud Jay Bruce, Cincinnati has an enviable combination of talent and youth: the six players listed have an average age a shade under 25. But that's future talk. As for now, the Cubs need to beat the Reds. If the Cubs can win two of three, the Reds will be officially eliminated from the NL Central race. Take that, Joe Morgan!

Comments

You would think that with Hill's trouble getting the ball to the plate quickly and Jason Kendall's horrible defense and throwing ability that Soto would be the man to catch Hill the rest of the way. Guess we're going to see a lot of stolen bases tonight!

Is it just me or has Kendall's defensive abilitiy been way overstated? He backhands balls he should not, he isnt very mobile behind the plate, makes bad throwing decisions, and isnt any good with the bat either. I think Soto cant be any worse. He should be starting from here on out.

I agree...I think the love affair with a veteran like Kendall needs to end right now. Sure, he's a stable force and I'm guessing the pitchers feel more comfortable with him, but what Soto brings to the plate in my opinion outweighs that comfort...plus with Kendall's horrid CS numbers, seems there is much more to gain in giving Soto some regular playing time here on out.

Oh boy. Now we're gonna fight over a catcher's offensive production versus his ability to "handle" pitchers or be good defensively. I blame Barrett.

anyone watching the game? I can't get into parachat who else has noticed the old guy behind home plate with a pink hat? he's back there all the time! maybe it's oldcubfan or some other TCR reader? who knows?

FLOYD!! Not sure where that bat was all year, but I'll certainly take it late.

BACK TO BACK JACKS!!!!!! Derosa!!! WOO!!!

Damn 4-3, there goes that lead. Hill out. Bang Gang play at 1st didn't go our way.

When is MLB going to get off of their asses and harshly assess the ridiculous calls that their umpires are making? That's three calls that have sucked in the last inning.

curve looking good? check fastball looking good? check control? check bad inning, hook...get to use the pen for 4.1ip whatever...

It's September, in a pennant race, expanded rosters. It should be short hooks. Also, he was at 81 pitches and he wasn't even out of the 5th inning.

I definitely disagree with going to the pen this early, but they should be ready. My problem tonight has come with the umpires. They have just been bad. I bet they have some money riding against the Cubbies. LET'S GET SOME RUNS!

What's the deal with letting up hits to pitchers? Jones needs to wipe that smirk off Bronson Arroyo's face.

yeah, but who you short hooking out and what you getting in return? its not a bad pen, but isnt almost everyone in it already worked 2 days in a row except for wood/wuertz/eyre/hart? we've used the "big guys" and it wasnt like hill didnt have his stuff...

Another hit for Arroyo..AMAZING!! At least he isn't hitting HR's like he was off Rusch.

Hill gave up 4 ER, 7 hits and 1 BB in 4.2 innings and 81 pitches. How is that having his stuff?? Wuertz, Wood and Hart can all go 2 innings.

hill got screwed in 1 inning and 2 of those plays could/should have been outs. but what's important is he had his stuff, not 1 inning. he wasnt even coming unglued. he had his stuff, he had a bad inning..it happens. and btw...what you think of those first 4 innings since you got a problem with his 4.2ip of ball?

Theriot appears to be pressing. His throw to DeRosa on the grounder by Hopper was crap.

Hill gave up the tying run and go ahead run off of fastballs while ahead 1-2 in the count. Getting beat on your inferior pitch while ahead in the count is stupid. Stupid pitching is bad pitching.

crunch: "and btw…what you think of those first 4 innings since you got a problem with his 4.2ip of ball?" First 4 innings were good, but the 5th was not good and he was already up to 81 pitches. I have no problem with the move by Lou.

Hill gave up the tying run and go ahead run off of fastballs while ahead 1-2 in the count. Getting beat on your inferior pitch while ahead in the count is stupid. Stupid pitching is bad pitching. Easy. You're not exactly being correct there.

Nice play Theriot/Soriano...Man this game is such a roller coaster to watch.

Pitchers are batting .326 against the Cubs this month, according to my count: 10-31 with 3 runs, 2 doubles and 12 strikeouts.

According to Yahoo, Oswalt isn't scheduled pitch Wednesday against the Brewers? He pitched Friday, so Wed. would be his normal day. The fix is in.

Craig Monroe -- terrible with Detroit, terrible with Chicago. Take the hint, Lou.

It looks like the Cubs have scored all their runs for tonight. As usual, the offense scored a few runs early in the game and took the night off.

Roller Coaster I tell ya!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 6-6

Biggest win of the year!!!!! Speechless...they looked bad most of the game but got the W...unbelievable!!!

Not a promising start from Hill. He's been looking more like the AAAA pitcher we had been seing until the 2nd half of last year recently. I'd honestly almost feel more comfortable with Traschel at this point. But hard to complain about this win, the crowd was terrific in the 9th.

11 games to go, tied in the loss column and we control our own destiny, not bad!!! Go Cubs Go!!!

What a great comeback!! And it's sooooooo important to keep pace with Milwaukee in this series because the effing Astros are folding like a cheap suit.

Weathers breakdown...nice job by Eyre, Hart, and Ohman at the end....Theriot set the table and Hopper couldn't rob Ramirez for the 2nd time and Derosa with the hit to win the game. I'll be happy with winning the series vs the Reds no matter what Milwaukee does.

This was Lou's plan all along, right? From empirical evidence, it is a physical law of the universe that late inning leads must entail Marmol/Howry/Dempster appearances. They are unable to go, therefore we shouldn't play for a late inning lead. Hence the only possible way to win is to take the lead in the bottom of the 9th. QED.

Anyone else not impress with Soriano in the field tonite? Bob making excuses of him not going to the wall, then next inning Reds CF slams into wall Then bad throw, and then bad base running. Lou needs to get a foot up his ass.

I'm 48 years old, but was jumping up and down, yelling "Run! Run!!!" at my TV on the Ramiez triple. Wow -- I thought for sure that we were in for another Carlos Lee heartbreak when the Reds CF dove for the ball. Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Five hits for DeRosa, including the game-winner. All the games are huge now, but nice to see them come up big.

I think Bud Selig needs to step in and tell the Oswalt family that its not in the best interest of baseball for them to have their baby now. I think Kevin Hart and Soto have earned a spot on the playoff roster. How many games is the record for a position player to be in without an at bat? I remember the A's had an Olympic sprinter by the name of Herb Washington back in the 70's. All he did was pinch run. Sam Fuld is our Herb Washington.

According to Yahoo, Oswalt isn’t scheduled pitch Wednesday against the Brewers? He pitched Friday, so Wed. would be his normal day. 3/44??

I’d honestly almost feel more comfortable with Traschel at this point [than Hill]. Haha. Glad you aren't managing this team.

#33 Wes, please explain how I’m not correct. The answer is two fold. First, you can't throw your best pitch 100% of the time when you get ahead in the count. You can throw it a couple times 0-2 or 1-2, but when you can't get it by them, you have to throw something else. You can throw it more than you normally would. That's common sense. Throw your out pitch with two strikes. But you've still got to keep them honest with fastballs. You have to mix your pitches just like any other situation in an AB. If he always threw a curve when he was ahead, it wouldn't be much of a guessing game for the hitter, now would it? Part of the methodology is also to try to sneak a fastball by them when they're sitting on the deuce, which brings me to point numero dos. (segue!) He threw his fastball tonight just about as well as he's ever thrown it. Got it to ride very nicely up in the zone, which is why he struck all those guys out the first two trips through the order. If you saw the Reds broadcast tonight, Brantley was talking a lot about how he's able to do that because he tucks his thumb under when he grips his fastball. Usually he hammers that thing down at the knees or in on the hands. Was able to get it just high enough to make it impossible enough. When you go up there, and they keep flailing and missing, common sense would tell you to keep going up there. He did until they started hitting it, which is right around the time you started complaining, Jackstraw.

It's said a lot that if a major league hitter knows what pitch is coming, they can hit it every time. You simply cannot throw hard enough or well enough to get it bye these hitters. That is why you mix up pitches and why Hill really needs a 3rd pitch in the offseason.

I kind of tuned in and out until the 9th, but I'm assuming the 7 k's through the first 4 meant Hill had some good stuff. Who knows if the leg bothered him or just had a bad inning but it was obviously just a quick September hook. He could of easily gotten out of that inning for all we know and made it 7 innings and 4 ER, not to mention the few supposed bad calls.

imo...as stated above...hill's stuff was just as good in the 5th as it was the 1st...he was just getting hit. hell, there were a couple chances to end that inning. it was just a bad inning. his curve was still filthy and he had his location on both his pitches. last i checked that's about the best you can hope from him. i know a rightie was coming up (encarcenon) but hell, there was a runner on 1st with 2 out. im not a fan of the too-regular "quick hook" as it is, but at least take a guy out when he's not got his game and when your top 3 relievers dont have 2 days in a row of work behind them... ultimately, its a lotta nothing...who says its not time for the B-team relievers to have their day? im not a fan of the short hook showing up so much, but ultimately its not really a huge deal in the scheme of things unless the pen is being burnt to hell...no chance of that this time of year.

Rob G.: "He could of easily gotten out of that inning for all we know and made it 7 innings and 4 ER, not to mention the few supposed bad calls." And he could of easily gave up 3-4 more runs that inning and blown the Cubs out of the game. Kudos to Lou!!

RE: #74. Thanks for the explanation, Wes. I see your point. Hard to tell on Gameday how good his fastball was.

Recent comments

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    The Reds trading Joe Boyle for Sam Moll at last year's MLB Trade Deadline was like the Phillies trading Ben Brown to the Cubs for David Robertson at the MLB TD in 2022. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Javier Assad started the Lo-A game (Myrtle Beach versus Stockton) on the Cubs backfields on Wednesday as his final Spring Training tune-up. He was supposed to throw five innings / 75 pitches. However, I was at the minor league road games at Fitch so I didn't see Assad pitch. 

  • crunch (view)

    cards put j.young on waivers.

    they really tried to make it happen this spring, but he put up a crazy bad slash of .081/.244/.108 in 45PA.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Seconded!!!

  • crunch (view)

    another awesome spring of pitching reports.  thanks a lot, appreciated.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Here are the Cubs pitchers reports from Tuesday afternoon's Cardinals - Cubs game art Sloan Park in Mesa:

    SHOTA IMANAGA
    FB: 90-92 
    CUT: 87-89 
    SL: 82-83 
    SPLIT: 81-84
    CV: 73-74 
    COMMENT: Worked three innings plus two batters in the fourth... allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits (six singles and two doubles) walked one, and struck out six (four swinging), with a 1/2 GO/AO... he threw 73 pitches (52 strikes - 10 swing & miss - 19 foul balls)... surrendered one run in the top of the 1st on a one-out double off Cody Bellinger's glove in deep straight-away CF followed one out later by two consecutive two-out bloop singles, allowed two runs (one earned) in the 2nd after retiring the first two hitters (first batter had a nine-pitch AB with four consecutive two-strike foul balls before being retired 3 -U) on a two-out infield single (weak throw on the run by Nico Hoerner), a hard-contact line drive RBI double down the RF line, and an E-1 (missed catch) by Imanaga on what should been an inning-ending 3-1 GO, gave up another run in the 3rd on a two-out walk on a 3-2 pitch and an RBI double to LF, and two consecutive singles leading off the top of the 4th before being relieved (runners were ultimately left stranded)... threw 18 pitches in the 1st inning (14 strikes - two swing & miss, one on FB and the other on a SL - four foul balls), 24 pitches in the 2nd inning (17 strikes - three swing & miss, one on FB, two SPLIT - six foul balls), 19 pitches in the 3rd inning (13 strikes - seven swing & miss, three on SL, two on SPLIT, one on FB - three foul balls), and 12 pitches without retiring a batter in the top of the 4th (8 strikes - no swing & miss - four foul balls)... Imanaga throws a lot of pitches per inning, but it's not because he doesn't throw strikes...  if anything, he throws too many strikes (he threw 70% strikes on Tuesday)... while he gets a ton of swing & miss (and strikeouts), he also induces a lot of foul balls because he doesn't try to make hitters chase his pitches by throwing them out of the strike zone... rather, he uses his very diverse pitch mix to get swing & miss (and lots of foul balls as well)... he also is a fly ball pitcher who will give up more than his share of HR during the course of the season...   
     
    JOE NAHAS
    FB: 90-92 
    SL: 83-85 
    CV: 80-81 
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day... relieved Imanaga with runners at first and second and no outs in the top of the 4th, and after an E-2 catcher's interference committed by Miguel Amaya loaded he bases, Nahas struck out the side (one swinging & two looking)... threw 16 pitches (11 strikes - two swinging)...   

    YENCY ALMONTE
    FB: 89-92 
    CH: 86 
    SL: 79 
    COMMENT: Threw an eight-pitch 5th (five strikes - no swing & miss), with a 5-3 GO for the first out and an inning-ending 4-6-3 DP after a one-out single... command was a bit off but he worked through it...   

    FRANKIE SCALZO JR
    FB: 94-95
    CH: 88 
    SL: 83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 6th inning... got the first outs easily (a P-5 and a 4-3 GO) on just three pitches, before allowing three consecutive two-out hard-contact hits (a double and two singles), with the third hit on pitch # 9 resulting in a runner being thrown out at the plate by RF Christian Franklin for the third out of the inning... 

    MICHAEL ARIAS
    FB: 94-96
    CH: 87-89
    SL: 82-83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and allowed a hard-contact double on the third pitch of the 7th inning (a 96 MPH FB), and the runner came around to score on a 4-3 GO and a WP... gave up two other loud contact outs (an L-7 and an F-9)... threw 18 pitches (only 10 strikes - only one swing & miss)... stuff is electric but still very raw and he continues to have difficulty commanding it, and while he has the repertoire of a SP, he throws too many pitches-per-inning to be a SP and not enough strikes to be a closer... he is most definitely still a work-in-progress...   

    ZAC LEIGH: 
    FB: 93-94 
    CH: 89 
    SL: 81-83 
    CV: 78
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and tossed a 1-2-3 8th (4-3 GO, K-swinging on a sweeper, K-looking on another sweeper)... threw 14 pitches (11 strikes - one swing & miss - eight foul balls)... kept pumping pitches into the strike zone but had difficulty putting hitters away (ergo a ton of foul balls)... FB velo is nowhere near the 96-98 MPH it was a couple of years ago when he was a Top 30 prospect, but his secondaries are better...   

    JOSE ROMERO:  
    FB: 93-95
    SL: 82-84
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 9th (14 pitches - only six strikes- no swing & miss) and allowed a solo HR after two near-HR fly outs to the warning track, before getting a 3-1 GO to end the inning... it was like batting practice when he wasn't throwing pitches out of the strike zone...

  • crunch (view)

    pablo sandoval played 3rd and got a couple ABs (strikeout, single!) in the OAK@SF "exhibition"

    mlb officially authenticated the ball of the single he hit.  nice.

    he's in surprisingly good shape considering his poor body condition in his last playing seasons.  he's not lean, but he looks healthier.  good for him.

  • crunch (view)

    dbacks are signing j.montgomery to a 1/25m with a vesting 20m player option.

    i dunno when the ink officially dries, but i believe if he signs once the season begins he can't be offered a QO...and i'm not sure if that thing with SD/LAD in korea was the season beginning, either.

  • crunch (view)

    sut says imanaga getting the home opener at wrigley (game 4 of the season).

  • crunch (view)

    cubs rolling out the who's who of "who the hell is this guy?" in the last spring game.