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 124 Thread / Cubs @ Marlins (3 of 3)

Game Chat | Press Pass | BR Preview

SP Ryan Dempster
SP
Chris Volstad

13-5, 2.92, 139 K, 62 BB, 157.1 IP

4-2, 3.03, 26 K, 18 BB, 38.2 IP
       
LF Alfonso Soriano
SS Hanley Ramirez
SS Ryan Theriot
LF *Luis Gonzalez
1B
Derrek Lee
3B Jorge Cantu
3B Aramis Ramirez 1B *Mike Jacobs
RF
*Kosuke Fukudome 2B Dan Uggla
C
Geovany Soto RF *Jeremy Hermida
2B *Mike Fontenot CF
Cody Ross
CF Reed Johnson
C *John Baker
P
Ryan Dempster
P Chris Volstad

 

The Cubs end the brief road trip with a chance to win yet another series and take the season matchup with the Fish, which currently stands at three victories each.

Ryan Dempster, who is profiled by Alan Schwarz in Sunday's New York Times, goes up against 21-year-old Chris Volstad, who pitched well in an ND when the Marlins were in Chicago.

Aramis Ramirez and Derrek Lee return to the starting lineup.

Comments

#1. Theriot can not steal third....ever. #2. Why in the heck are they moving the runners with a power hitter up? If it's the bottom of the order, it might make sense. I just can't even comprehend what Lou was thinking.

Wow, what an utterly horrendous job of managing by Fredi Gonzalez. Removes Hermida, one of the better defensive RFers in baseball, to move Ross over from CF, but leaves one of the worst defensive OFers in L.Gonzo who botches Soriano's 2B. Then leaves Pinto in to face 4 straight rightys when sinkerballing Kensing is up and ready in the pen. That's Baker-esque.

horrible managing by gonzalez....and the gonzalez who plays outfield is absurdly slow. that was fun....i really cannot believe pinto faced all of those righties.... huge huge win to cap a great road trip. turn to TBS to watch brewers-dodgers btw, just started.

5-1 roadtrip. 5 game lead. (7.5 for playoffs) 13 of 16 coming up at home. Need to gain some more ground to make a very tough September schedule much more relaxing.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

True, although, at least a few weeks ago, both Wuertz and Ascanio weren't doing too well. I would certainly be in favor of seeing what they can do, however, even if it requires a "phantom" DL stint for Howry until rosters expand. Howry certainly has his faults -- the HR ball the worst of them. But what he tends to not do (and what Wuertz, Marmol, etc. will on occasion do) is just melt down and walk two or three guys in a row. I'm not really arguing to use Howry in any meaningful situation, but at least keep him around until you're sure you don't need him esp. with September almost upon us.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

Colvin update too. As AZ Phil has been mentioning, he's starting to hit again now that he's taking fewer pitches. After a double and triple last night he's up to .301 .326 .545 for the 2nd half. He's ISO OBP is down from .061 in the first half. While I am at it, Vitters has 17 hits in his last 10 games and is at .347 .385 .521 on the strength of a league leading (sheesh) 17 doubles (190 AB's), he turns 19 later this month. His 22 year old left side of the infield partner is cruising along at .314 .397 .536

NL Domination Cubs have now won the season series with: Florida Arizona Los Angeles Atlanta Pittsburgh Colorado San Francisco San Diego Currently leading the season series with: Milwaukee St. Louis New York Cincinnati Currently Tied: Houston Currently Losing: Philadephia Washington

brews score 4 to tie the game in the 9th. chan...you ho.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

hung a breaking ball on 0-2 two outs...ridiculous.

quite the long flight back from LA to Milwaukee Cubs get yet another day off tomorrow before the Cincy series. Monday is no day off for the Brewers who will face one of three teams to get 8 wins in their last 10 games...Astros, who are as hot as anyone but haven't gained any ground, well here's your chance 'Strohs. The Cubs will need all the cushion they can get as the last 2 weeks of Sept are a bitch.

...we may be screwed: "Kerry Wood, Carlos Marmol and Jeff Samardzija did a pregame photo shoot Saturday for an upcoming Sports Illustrated feature on the Cubs' bullpen." I hope they don't end up on the cover. In case you doubt the effectiveness of the SI curse, I offer you this.

Is there anything to dislike about this guy? Except him being Canadian? I keed. Unfortunately I don't see how the Cubs will keep him this off season unless new ownership with big bucks come in. This will probably his last and only chance at a big money contract and I hope he gets it. Great road trip. Time to sweep castrated Reds next.

[ ]

In reply to by jacos

Good article. I was really impressed with Dempster's off-season work. I really hope we re-sign him. Which brings up an interesting question... If you HAVE to win a game-- who would you rather start: Dempster or Zambrano?

[ ]

In reply to by Chad

No. I am saying Dempster is more consistent. If you're confident 2 or 3 runs over 6 or 7 innings is going to get the job done, then go with Dempster. If you think you need to have 1 or 0 runs over 7 innings, go with Z, and know there's a chance that you'll lose 7-1. As I pointed out in Parachat the other day, Z is our new stopper. Every time we get a 4 game winning streak, he stops it.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

As of right now, Demp is definitely the guy I want starting when the series is on the line. He's only had one bad outing this year (2.1 IP, 8 ER vs the Sox). Otherwise, the Cubs have been in every game he pitches, and at least half of those were fairly dominating performances. Dempster and Harden are the guys who give me the most confidence this year. Lilly has actually been quite good in terms of keeping the team in each ball game (particularly after April), but he gives up too many homers for me to feel really comfortable with his starts. Z can be the most dominating of them all, but you never know if you're going to get good Z or bad Z.

Lefty Jeremy Papelbon has thrown AT LEAST 34.1 consecutive scoreless innings for Daytona. HOT. rock on,

this tidbid in the morning Tribune... Class A Boise prospects Josh Vitters, Michael Brenly and Andrew Cashner will be sent to the instructional league after their season ends.

[ ]

In reply to by Cubster

Speaking of Brenly, I wonder if AZ Phil has any info on why a guy his size hasn't yet figured out to generate much power. He's a big dude, and he's been able to hit for average and take walks, but he has yet to take advantage of his large frame. Then again, maybe that's what they'll teach him in the instructional league. Maybe they'll teach Vitters how to throw accurately to first base while they're at it. If we get really lucky, they'll teach Burke and Harvey how to throw a changeup and a slider...

I remember wondering a few years ago if anyone had ever been intentionally walked with the bases loaded. I figured it must have happened at some point, and I haven't thought about it since. I guess it happened last night - the Rays walked Josh Hamilton intentionally to keep him from hitting a game-tying grand slam. http://tinyurl.com/68hwbc Ultimately, the game came down to Maddon's decision on whether to pitch to Josh Hamilton with the bases loaded and two outs. Rather than risk Hamilton hitting a grand slam that would have tied the game, Maddon elected to have Grant Balfour issue an intentional pass, which scored the Rangers' fourth run and brought the winning run to the plate in the form of Marlon Byrd. Fortunately for the Rays, Dan Wheeler came in to pitch to Byrd and struck him out swinging to end the game. I suppose if you're going to have an IBB specialist on staff, he may as well have a built-in nickname.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/8462030/Versatility-is-what-sets-Cub… Piniella can go with super-sub Mike Fontenot, who's slugging at a .519 clip and has enough glove skill to play several different positions. and If Theriot needs a night off and DeRosa is working the outfield, Fontenot has him covered at short, with Ronny Cedeno (.277) more than capable of having a big game at second. Don't let the truth get in the way of your story angle, Mr. Hill. another fun one.. Johnson can play center if the Cubs are hitting against a southpaw that might give Edmonds trouble (not likely, based on history) or hold down the fort in left when Soriano is down. Edmonds with a .724 OPS vs lefties over the last 3 years, .484 this season.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

What about: "The third hole can be occupied by first-year Cub Kosuke Fukudome, who has chilled considerably after a fast start, but uses commendable patience to maintain a high on-base percentage. Jim Edmonds, the former St. Louis Cardinal who hit miserably during an early run as a San Diego Padre, can hit third now while answering what had been a big question mark in center field. "? I mean, Ronny Cedeno and Henry Blanco can bat third as well... but they don't. Fukudome and Edmonds have a grand total of 0 PA's batting third. Blanco has 2 (3.500 OPS) and Cedeno has 3 (3.000 OPS). If we go by the Soriano theory, the only reason these guys aren't destined to be inner circle Hall of Famers is they haven't been given enough bats in their comfortable lineup spot.

via Rotoworld... Matt LaPorta has been hospitalized after being hit on the helmet by a pitch Monday during the United States' win over China in the Olympics. LaPorta knocked China's catcher out of the game during a fifth-inning collision at the plate and the next inning Nate Schierholtz collided with his replacement. China manager Jim Lefebvre was ejected from the game and LaPorta was hit by a fastball in the seventh inning, as the ball deflected off his shoulder into his helmet. Pitcher Zhen Xu was ejected and the U.S. team was hit by a total of five pitches in a 9-1 victory. "He never lost consciousness," Indians general manager Mark Shapiro said. "He's been held for observation. He will have spent at least a day in the hospital." Shapiro declined to say whether LaPorta would rejoin the Olympic team once he's released from the hospital.

"You laugh, but I hear that ARam really has credited Santo for helping him with his footwork." I'm not laughing, that story is true. For those of us lucky enough to have watched Santo play, he was far and away the best defensive 3rd bagger to play for the team in many decades. Best offensive, too. If Santo had had access to the current treatments for diabetes, there's no telling what kind of career he would've had.

Best story about Santo's playing days - during a crucial game, Santo started experiencing blackouts, due to his diabetes. He stayed in the game and hit a critical home run, and almost fell down running the bases.

supposedly that at bat was against Bob Gibson...he apparently saw three balls coming out of Gibson's hand and swung at the 2nd one...for a HR. might do a check to see how many HR's Santo had vs Gibson.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Subscription articles suck. But Cliff Lee wouldn't be a bad pick - should win the Cy Young and an added MVP would be nice. The AL MVP voting is tough... You have Lee and Halliday on the pitching side. You have Morneau, Quintin, Kinsler, Hamilton, Bradley, Youkilis, Sizemore, and ARod on the offensive side. No one has really set themselves apart from the rest. And it is pretty ridiculous that the Rangers have three of the top eight (or so) hitters in the league this year. And the Indians could have the best pitcher (Cliff Lee) and the best all around player (Sizemore) and still be awful.

[ ]

In reply to by big_lowitzki

sorry, thought it was a free one.

according to WARP-1 rankings:

Lee, Halladay, Kinsler, Mauer, A-Rod, Youklis, etc

Hamilton will win on sympathy voting.

I'd probably vote Mauer. 

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Cliff Lee MVP? C'mon! If you are going to give the MVP to a guy who only plays 1 of 5 games, his team needs to win the division.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

I have to admit that I like the MVP's coming from competitive teams. If Morneu were to win again, it would be the second time that he's won without being the best player on his team (though the gap with Mauer is closing). I would guess that right now it's Hamilton and Quentin, but the AL voters are even barmier than the NL voters, so it's hard to say.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

agreed...hamilton/quentin are running a 2-man race for MVP right now unless the voters get 80s-itis for player evaluations of "greatness". i dont see how mauer/mourneu would pique the interest of many voters no matter how technically sound they are this year.

From Southtown Economist "To honor the Chicago funny-man, the White Sox - his favorite baseball team - presented a No. 1 jersey to his wife, Rhonda McCullough. Chicago Cubs superfan Ronnie Woo-Woo was also in attendance - in full Cubs uniform." Egads.

I'd be quite happy if Woo Woo were escorted off the Wrigley Field premises. Still remember when I had season tickets, and the guy always seemed to be stationed about two seats away from me - it got so bad that I couldn't even hear myself think anymore. "Woo! Sandberg! Woo! Sutcliffe!" Gawd awful stuff.

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    yeah, for me this isn't about who's better at 3rd.  it's madrigal, period.  for me it's about who's not hitting in the lineup because madrigal is in the lineup.

    occasional play at 3rd for madrigal, okay.  going with the steele/ground-ball matchup...meh, but okay, whatever.

    seeing madrigal get significant starting time...no thanks.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Yeah I am very disappointed Madrigal is starting. He has no business as a starter. He is AAA insurance, a back up at best. Sure his defense looks fine because he plays far enough in that his noodle arm isn’t totally exposed. It comes at the cost of 3B range.

    He’s garbage, and a team serious about winning would NOT have him starting opening day.

  • crunch (view)

    in other news, it took 3 PA before a.rizzo got his 1st HBP of the season.

  • Eric S (view)

    With two home runs (so far) and 5 rbi today … clearly Nick Martini is the straw that stirs the Reds drink 😳

  • crunch (view)

    madrigal at 3rd...morel at DH.

    making room for madrigal or/and masterboney to get a significant amount of ABs is a misuse of the roster.  if it needed to get taken care of this offseason, they had tons of time to figure that out.

    morel played almost exclusively at 3rd in winter ball and they had him almost exclusively there all spring when he wasn't DH'ing.

    madrigal doing a good job with the glove for a bit over 2 chances per game...is that worth more than what he brings with the bat 4-5 PA a game?  it's 2024 and we got glenn beckert 2.0 manning 3rd base.

    this is a tauchman or cooper DH situation based on bat, alone.  cooper is 3/7 with a double off eovaldi if you want to play the most successful matchup.

    anyway, i hope this is a temporary thing, not business as usual for the rest of the season.  it will be telling if morel is not used at 3rd when an extreme fly ball pitcher like imanaga is on the mound.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    There are two clear "logjams" in the Cubs minor league pipeline at the present time, namely AA outfielders (K. Alcantara, C. Franklin, Roederer, Pagan, Pinango, Beesley, and Nwogu) and Hi-A infielders (J. Rojas, P. Ramirez, Howard, R. Morel, Pertuz, R. Garcia, and Spence, although Morel has been getting a lot of reps in the outfield in addition to infield). So it is possible that you might see a trade involving one of the extra outfielders at AA and/or one of the extra infielders at Hi-A in the next few days. 

  • 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.