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

Reinhard: I Got Next!

Just back from Principal Park where emergency starter Greg Reinhard tossed four hitless, shutout innings and left the game with a 4-0 lead over Memphis and Cardinal prospect P.J. Walters [who made his MLB debut on April 17th against the Cubs at Wrigley].

By the time Walters, whose middle name doesn't start with J, left the game he'd managed Memphis' only hit, a single in the 6th off of Vince Perkins.

Brad Snyder touched P.J. for a three-run homer in the 4th, the game's big blow so far.

Memphis' lone run was unearned as a result of Jake [5 for his last 25] Fox's first error of the season at first base.

Reinhard retired the lineup in order the first time through before walking Jon Jay to leadoff the 4th. Jay was later erased on a strike 'em out/ throw 'em out DP to end the inning and Reinhard left having faced the minimum 12 batters while needing only 41 pitches to get a dozen outs. Besides walking Jay, he fanned three.

In the top of the 3rd, I thought of Harry Caray when Sam Fuld, "tied a record held by many," when he made all three PO's in the inning. Fuld also swiped two bases after scoring four runs yesterday and making a running over-the-shoulder basket catch in left-center to boot.

 I wish I could've stayed for the end of the last game of the homestand. It's a beautiful day here in Des Moines and school buses were lined up outside of the ballpark like charters on Waveland Avenue.

One last thing: how does Kyle Reynolds get booted up from Tennessee to Iowa after starting the year 5-57 in Double A? He hit the ball hard three times for outs today and made a sparkling play at 3B to get a fielder's choice in the 5th; must just be hittin' in tough luck wherever he goes...MW

Comments

I-Cubs win! I-Cubs win! Looks like Jake the Rake snapped back w/ a two-run triple in the 7th...a snappy matinee in 2:08

My guess on why Reynolds is up is that, it's sort of a "last shot" type move. With Marquez Smith in AA likely to gobble up a chunk of the 3rd base, and with Blake Lalli/Russ Canzler/Steve Clevenger gobbling up the AA at bats there, Reynolds likely wouldn't have seen much action. With an opening at AAA due to the callups, seems sort of like a "why not" type move, as we basically had middle infielders playing 3rd at Iowa. The other thing is, who else do you call up? I think Thomas/Barney will come up together, or close enough, if they move up, and both could use some more AA time (although if both bats are this solid in a week or two, I wouldn't mind seeing them both come up to AAA, considering how badly Spears has struggled). Calling Lalli/Clevenger up didn't really make sense as both could use some more AA time, so if those 4 bats are off, there really isn't a deserving bat (I am a believer in Lalli's bat playing for the upper minors, the ARL issue was overrated, IMO, as this is only his 3rd year). Arm wise, they moved Blake Parker up (if our pen doesn't fix itself, it wouldn't surprise me if Parker found an opportunity in the bigs this year either), and there wasn't really a need for another pen arm to be moved up, and none of the Smokies starters are really ready to slide up. I like Reinhard. Glad to see we got something out of the Ryu trade, even if it's a middle relief type arm (Andrew Lopez was the other guy we picked up). I think Reinhard is a middle relief guy in the bigs, and considering our pen struggles, he may just see some time this year (although I'm hopeful Ascanio/Guzman can perhaps be the 7th inning bridge). Nice seeing Cales get a shot at Tennessee. He was excellent at Daytona. Canzler really hasn't done anything so far to make you think he has improved from last year, but I guess he was next man up from a Daytona offense that's been struggling, to say the least. Gotta say I was a bit surprised with Francisco Guzman getting the Daytona nod. Has he been doing well in XST? I hope AzPhil could provide some insight there. I like the fact that Keedy's getting a shot in fullseason.

[ ]

In reply to by toonsterwu

TOONSTERWU: Francisco Guzman just turned 21, so he's not as young as some of the other kids at EXST. He is a protypical lead-off hitter type, has plus-speed, likes to bunt and/or slap the ball to the opposite field and then try to outrun the ball to 1st, and is very aggressive on the bases. He has excellent range and can play all three OF positions. My guess is he was brought up to Daytona only because of the injury to Tony Campana.

As for Kyle Reynolds, he and Matt Camp were the last two cuts from Iowa at the end of Minor League Camp (just like Marquez Smith and Russ Canzler were the last two cuts from Tennessee), with both Reynolds and Camp getting sent to Tennessee only because of a roster numbers crunch that was caused by Luis Rivas, So Taguchi, and Jason Dubois all making the Opening Day Iowa roster. While Camp played well at AA and got a quick promotion, Reynolds struggled at AA and just could not get going. However, this is Reynolds' third consecutive year at AA, so he really needs to move up to AAA. One thing about Reynolds is that unlike Matulia, Camp, and Spears, Reynolds is a legitimate third-baseman who had a really nice power year in 2007 and appeared on the verge of becoming an MLB prospect, but then he went backward last year after he failed to make the Opeing Day Iowa roster, and he was even worse this year. I suspect this is his last chance to prove himself at AAA. If he can't, he will get traded or released.  

[ ]

In reply to by Arizona Phil

real quick, there were two of/1st bats that looked, at least, statistically intriguing in dsl last year. Granted, DSl strike zones being different means you take a grain of salt with those stats, but um ... do you know what the plan is for ... i think albert hernandez, who I believe was 18, and Jesus Morelli? There was also an arm down there but the name is slipping me at the moment. I'm also mildly curious what your take is on jumping Keedy up to Daytona, instead of say, sliding Ridling up and Keedy to Low A. IIRC, I think you preferred Keedy or Hoorelbeke over Ridling to be at Peoria to start. That said, Ridling has had a really nice season, showing better discipline. Is it partly because Keedy can handle OF a bit better than Ridling (IIRC)?

Submitted by toonsterwu on Mon, 05/11/2009 - 8:20pm.
real quick, there were two of/1st bats that looked, at least, statistically intriguing in dsl last year. Granted, DSl strike zones being different means you take a grain of salt with those stats, but um ... do you know what the plan is for ... i think albert hernandez, who I believe was 18, and Jesus Morelli? There was also an arm down there but the name is slipping me at the moment.

I'm also mildly curious what your take is on jumping Keedy up to Daytona, instead of say, sliding Ridling up and Keedy to Low A. IIRC, I think you preferred Keedy or Hoorelbeke over Ridling to be at Peoria to start. That said, Ridling has had a really nice season, showing better discipline. Is it partly because Keedy can handle OF a bit better than Ridling (IIRC)?

=====================================

TOONSTER: I don't know anything about Albert Hernandez, but Jesus Morelli is at EXST. He is a corner-OF type with HR power and a RF arm, but he's not a very good hitter (yet). He is VERY raw.

I don't know why Keedy was jumped over Ridling, but Keedy is a better defensive 1st baseman than Ridling (who is another Brian Dopirak), so maybe that's the reason. Keedy is also a better pure hitter than Ridling, although Ridling has more HR power. BTW, Sean Hoorelbeke is a another poor defensive 1st baseman who can't play corner OF either, so his future is murky because while he is a good hitter, he projects as a DH with only occasional HR power. At least Ridling should hit some home runs.

Recent comments

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    18-year old SS Jefferson Rojas almost made the AA Tennessee Opening Day roster, and he is a legit shortstop, so I would expect him to be an MLB Top 100 prospect by mid-season. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Among the relievers in the system, I expect RHRP Hunter Bigge at AAA Iowa and RHRP Ty Johnson at South Bend to have breakout seasons on 2024, and among the starters I see LHP Drew Gray and RHP Will Sanders at South Bend and RHP Naz Mule at ACL Cubs as the guys who will make the biggest splash. Also, Jaxon Wiggins is throwing bullpen sides, so once he is ready for game action he could be making an impact at Myrtle Beach by June.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    I expect OF Christian Franklin to have a breakout season at AA Tennessee in 2024. In another organization that doesn't have PCA, Caissie, K. Alcantara, and Canario in their system, C. Franklin would be a Top 10 prospect. 

  • 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.