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

Big "Z" Returns to The Game

Carlos Zambrano got into his first game action since his infamous dugout meltdown at U. S. Cellular Field on June 25th, throwing a perfect 1-2-3 second inning (12 pitches - 10 strikes) at Dwight Patterson Field at HoHoKam Park in Mesa tonight.

The AZL Cubs lost the game 2-1, as the AZL Royals scored two runs in the top of the 6th off RHP Luis Liria (4 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 WP, 6/4 GO/FO, 58 pitches - 37 strikes) to overcome a 1-0 deficit.

box score

Iowa Cubs RHP Jeff Gray (groin strain) got the start for the AZL Cubs, throwing one inning (12 pitches - 9 strikes) in what was his second rehab outing in three days (he threw an inning for the AZL Cubs this past Saturday night also). Gray struck out Cameron Connor (swinging) to lead-off the game, before surrendering a one-out single to Daniel Mateo. Gray then got out of the inning when Michael Antonio grounded into a room-service 6-4-3 DP. Gray has been on the I-Cubs DL since May 31st, and looks to be about ready to return to Des Moines.

There wasn't much Cubs offense tonight, as Royals pitchers limited the Cubs to just one run on four hits, retiring 10 of the last 11 Cub hitters. The Cubs scored their lone run in the bottom of the 4th when Albert Hernandez and Ryan Cuneo singled, advanced a base a piece on a well-executed double-steal, before Hernandez scored on a WP.

Here is Zambrano's inning, pitch-by-pitch:

TOP OF THE SECOND INNING:

JIN-HO SHIN at bat:
1. strike one (looking)
2. strike two (looking)
3. foul
4. foul
5. foul
6. ball one
7. IN PLAY: 5-3 ground out

HENRY MORENO at bat:
1. strike one (foul)
2. strioke two (swinging)
3. strike three (looking)

YSMELIN ALCANTARA at bat:
1. ball one
2. IN PLAY: 5-3 ground out

"Z" looked very good tonight, throwing all of his pitches for strikes, with good sink on his two-seamer. He will supposedly be moving up to Iowa later this week.

After his one inning of work, Zambrano went out to the bullpen and threw an additional 15 or so pitches, signed some autographs along the RF foul line, and then retired to the Cubs dugout to hang with the kids.

One thing about Carlos Zambrano... he sure doesn't play The Big Shot Major Leaguer when he's down here. I half expected him to help the off-duty AZL Cubs pitchers chase down foul balls in the stands.

Comments

Thanks as always, Phil. The way Silva has pitched the last two times out, there may be a starting spot waiting for Zambrano after all. On an unrelated note, my mini rant on Twitter about the kid who seemed to be bullied into throwing back Ryan Howard's home run ball Sunday night earned us a link, though not a direct mention, on the Big League Stew blog at Yahoo. (Click on the word "goaded.) http://yhoo.it/9vbK1h

Cubs are the least efficient team in baseball -Forbes
- The Cubs rank last among 30 teams thus far in 2010, requiring $2.07 million in payroll per win, and underperforming their projected win total by 9 games. - Filtering out teams with winning records, the 2nd and 3rd least efficient teams thus far in 2010 are the Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Mariners...both of whom have required approximately $1.5 million in payroll per win. Additionally, the Orioles and Mariners surpass the Cubs in terms of underperforming relative to projected win totals. The Orioles are the worst at 14 games below projected wins, while the Mariners are 10 games below projection.
http://blogs.forbes.com/sportsmoney/2010/07/assessing-mlbs-mostleast-ef… When you consider that the only reason Jim Hendry has a job at all is thanks to the present General Manager of the hapless Baltimore Orioles is it any wonder why the Cubs are in their present mess? Jim Hendry was MacFail's protege. He learned everything he knows about being a GM from Andy.... and it shows.

One thing to keep in my mind about Carlos Zambrano's roster status... Any player who is on the Restricted List as of August 1st for any reason other than a PED suspension is not eligible to play in the post-season (MLB or minor leagues), and so if the Cubs were to somehow make the playoffs, Zambrano would not be eligible for the LDS, LCS, and WS unless he is activated from the Restricted List prior to 8/1. So to protect themselves in case they somehow magically make it to the 2010 post-season, the Cubs must make sure to reinstate "Z" from the Restricted List by 8/1.

[ ]

In reply to by navigator

Is Ryno ready for the big leagues? Bruce Levine (1:43 PM) He's done everything he can as far as getting experience. I've talked to scouts who have watched his game, and I'm told he runs a good baseball game. That's a question better asked of Hendry and the Ricketts after this season. Better chance of managing the Cubs next year- Sandberg, Girardi, or other? Bruce Levine (1:57 PM) I think Sandberg should get a lot of consideration. Another name that keeps coming up is Washington third base coach Pat Listach. He coached in the Cubs organization and is highly thought of throughout baseball. From his chat today. Other stuff as well. http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chicago/chat/_/id/33525

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

I would think Hendry staying would increase Ryno's odds of getting the job. Hendry has spoken highly of Ryno and advanced him through the minors. A new GM would likely have no relationship with Ryno, and unless Ricketts forces whoever the GM is to hire Ryno, the new GM probably has his own candidates in mind. That said, I still think there's a good chance Hendry gets fired.

The Cubs have moved two pitchers (RHPs Yohan Gonzalez and Corey Martin) temporarily up to Iowa from Peoria, apparently in preparation for a corresponding roster move(s) where the Cubs will be recalling a pitcher or two from Iowa (one probably being Jeff Stevens, since he is the most-rested of the I-Cubs relievers who are already on the Cubs 40-man roster). This could mean that Stevens (or whoever) will replace Mitch Atkins on the 25-man roster (since Atkins won't be able to pitch again for a few days), or possibly Bob Howry (who could get DFA'd), or both Atkins and Howry could get dropped (with Atkins being optioned to Iowa and Howry getting DFA'd) if the Cubs promote two pitchers. Side-armin' RHRP David Cales has pitched lights out at Iowa since getting promoted to AAA from AA Tennessee (where he was the Smokies closer), so he could possibly get moved up to Chicago, too. LHRP Scott Maine (acquired from AZ in the Aaron Heilman deal) is another possibility for promotion, if the Cubs look beyond guys who are already on the 40-man roster.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

Submitted by The Real Neal on Tue, 07/20/2010 - 1:10pm. You don't think Gray will go straight back to the big leagues? ============================================ REAL NEAL: It's possible, but Gray was optioned to Iowa prior to going on the DL, and he may need to prove he can get outs at AAA before the Cubs think about recalling him. Gray has had a really bad year between the groin strains, and is a likely candidate to get dropped from the Cubs 40-man roster post-2010, since he will be out of minor league options next season.

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.