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

Disabled List Welcomes Yet Another Cub

As expected, Carlos Zambrano will be placed on the disabled list with recurring back spasms. It'll be back-dated to August 2nd though and he could return as soon as August 17th. If he can return by the 17th, it would mean just one start would need to be covered on Wednesday, August 12th versus the Phillies. Jeff Stevens is being recalled to take Z's roster spot, and it appears that Jeff Samardzija is the clubhouse leader to take the start on Wednesday. The Phillies of course feature lefties Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez, but their overall team OPS versus lefties and righties is about the same.

On the flip side, Ted Lilly felt good after a bullpen session and should be back sooner, rather than later. They haven't put a timetable yet on it, but it seems reasonable he could be back within a week.

Comments

Who'd you'd rather have coming out of the pen to face a tough lefty right now, Marshall or Gaub? And who would you rather have pitching 5-6 innings in a single game for you right now, Samardzija or Marshall? I really would've supported a Gaub up, Marshall to the rotation move, for at least this week.

Should we go after Wagner? With a show of hands, who here would welcome a move for Billy Wagner (who is approximately 4 minor league appearances away from a MLB return after Tommy John surgery). I would take him - even throwing right handed - over Gregg.

Hope the Ramirez thing isn't serious...the way things are going though who knows. This win was at least huge, win 1 of the next 2 and I'll be happy enough although they might be looking at being a game and a half out of first. The Pirates actually have a decent shot tomorrow with Duke going vs Piniero its the one game of the series I think they have a good shot to win.

...ruh roh --- Comcast showed the replay on where ARam seemed to have onset of left shoulder soreness. It was the single to left in the 3rd by Quintanilla. ARam had his glove outstretched as the ball went over his glove and quickly pulled his left arm down with a grimace...but stayed in the game for 2 more at bats ( K in the 4th, GO in the 5th). Len/Bob noticed the incident and kept commenting that he looked like the shoulder was bothering him, even before they took ARam out of the game. Hard to say if it's going to be more than a one game issue but I'd expect Fox/Baker to be at 3B tomorrow.

It is my opinion that in the one loss to Cinci during the last home-stand, he aggravated the shoulder. In that game, after a diving stop, he kept removing his glove from his right hand and commenced to shaking his hand and arm at every opportunity. Just my own theory.

Left shoulder soreness is far less of a concern than right shoulder soreness, am I right? --- ARam dislocated his left shoulder on May 8th in Milwaukee. His right (throwing) shoulder has never been injured. The dislocaton was on his glove side and happened when he dove toward the 3B line in Milwaukee. So at this point, left shoulder symptoms are going to be attributed to the laxity of that shoulder and any hyperextension with the arm outstretched is the position it's at risk to get reinjured. This certainly wasn't another dislocation but there is probably some instability when it gets stressed so he probably needs a day or two off if it's sore from whatever happened tonight in the 3rd inning.

enjoying the change of scenery...

2 HR's already, .314 BA as a Pirate...

hey, it's the best week he'll ever have...

The Dave Van Dyke report on ARam is odd...and isn't in sync with what Len/Bob reported in terms of him hurting in in the field. Len/Bob later in the game had the replay on the single over ARam's head as I mentioned in post #15 so it was pretty obvious he did something uncomfortable to his shoulder on that play. Also DVD said ARam struck out 3 times but he grounded out 4-3 in the 5th (right after DLee's HR). Carrie Muskat also comments on ARam's shoulder, but doesn't add any insight...saying that the error ARam made in the 4th didn't seem to be related to shoulder problems. Basically he bobbled the ball then kicked it when he should have had an easy force at third and maybe a 5-3 DP. http://cubs.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090808&content_id=6322886&vk…

Beat writers say ARam's shoulder has been sore since Cincy (4-5 days). Wittenmeyer/Sun-Times: Ramirez won't play today, and his status beyond that is uncertain after he finally succumbed to pain in the shoulder that had been bothering him since the series against the Cincinnati Reds earlier in the week. ''Today I just couldn't do it,'' he said. ''I tried.'' --- Van Dyke/Tribune: Aramis Ramirez, who left the game after the top of the fifth with stiffness in his left shoulder, the same one that put him on the disabled list earlier this season. "I've been sore for four or five days," said Ramirez, who struck out three times. "I just couldn't do it. I tried." Ramirez will sit out Sunday's game and will decide Monday whether to play the finale of the four-game series. http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/chi-09-cubs-rockies-…

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.