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

Golden Bear Cub Comes Through When It Counts

Brett Jackson rifled an RBI single into the LF corner with two outs in the bottom of the 9th to score Jim Adduci from 2nd base with the winning run, as the Cubs scored one in the 8th and one in the 9th to edge the Cleveland Indians 2-1 in Cactus League action at Dwight Patterson Field at HoHoKam Park in sunny & warm Mesa this afternoon.

box score

Randy Wells got the start for the Cubs today, and threw four shutout innings (57 pitches - 35 strikes, 6/3 GO/FO), allowing a single and a walk while striking out two. Kerry Wood pitched the 5th and struck out the side (S. Duncan-Valbuena-Donald) after allowing a lead-off single to Travis Buck, and Andrew Cashner pitched the final four innings (55 pitches - 33 strikes), allowing one run (a solo HR by Jayson Nix, the second batter Cashner faced). Cashner's command was a little bit spotty, but he got a ton of ground balls (7/1 GO/FO), and may have taken the lead in the battle for the 5th starter job (with Randy Wells now solidly #4) with his performance today. For the day, Cashner allowed just the one run (the Nix HR) on three hits and a walk, plus three stikeouts and one GIDP, in 4.0 IP.  

Meanwhile, Cleveland pitchers threw 5.2 IP of no-hit ball at the Cubs, as Tribe starter Justin Masterson threw three perfect innings (with five strikeouts) and Jeanmar Gomez followed with three innings of one-hit shutout ball (including three punch-outs). The Cubs didn't even have a baserunner until one out in the bottom of the 6th, when Koyie Hill drew a walk. But with pitcher Andrew Cashner at bat, Hill was thrown out at 2nd base on a busted "butcher boy" hit & run play where Cash faked the bunt and then swung away (and missed), and then Cashner immediately followed the Hill CS with a line-drive single to left, the Cubs first hit of the day.  

Down 1-0 going into the bottom of the 8th, Marquez Smith ripped a one-out double down the left-field line off Frank Herrmann, advanced to 3rd base on a Wild Pitch, and then scored when Indians catcher Chun-Hsiu Chen made an inadvisable (and errant) throw to 3rd base trying to nab Smith (who had already arrived at the bag). Chen had a bad day behind the dish today, with the critical E-5 and a PB.

With the score tied 1-1, Jim Adduci led-off the bottom of the 9th for the Cubs, beating out an infield hit. Fernando Perez then laid down a bunt and reached safely on a SH-FC when Cleveland pitcher Vinny Pestana tried to force the speedy Adduci at 2nd base (Pestana had absolutely no chance). But Scott Moore popped-out into short LF and Josh Vitters popped out to right-center, leaving it up to Brett Jackson (the Cubs 2009 1st round draft pick out of Cal), who came into the AB hitting .063 (1-16) in Cactus League action. And the Golden Bear came through, hammering the first pitch he saw into the LF corner, scoring Adduci from 2nd base with the winning run. 

Today was "Ron Santo Day" at HoHoKam Park, with a pre-game ceremony featuring the Ricketts Family, Ferguson Jenkins, Billy Williams, Randy Hundley, Mesa Mayor Scott Smith, and Ronnie's wife and kids. There were a lot of #10 jerseys at HoHoKam today.

Comments

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In reply to by QuietMan

Submitted by QuietMan on Thu, 03/10/2011 - 7:17pm. Great as usual AZ Phil. How did Colvin look at firstbase? ================================= Q-MAN: I like what I've seen of Tyler Colvin at 1st base (so far). He has the actions of a 1st baseman (not hard to understand since he played there in HS and in his Freshman year at Clemson), and can make all the plays. I'm not saying he's Gold Glove material, but he's not bad. But Colvin has really been struggling with his outfield play in Cactus League games. He has misplayed and misjudged several pop ups and line-drives, and just doesn't look comfortable out there. I guess some would wonder if working out at 1st base has had a negative impact on how he is performing defensively in the outfield, but I don't know if that's true. Colvin was never a good defensive outfielder in the minors (passable is how I would describe him, with plus-range and an adequate arm but poor instincts).

Today is the first day since the end of the World Series that Draft-Excluded Players (anyone eligible for selection in last December's Rule 5 Draft who was added to a 40-man roster after August 15th) can be sent to the minors by outright or optional assignment. The four Draft-Excluded Players presently on the Cubs 40-man roster are Alberto Cabrera, Robert Coello, Scott Maine, and Kyle Smit. And next Tuesday is the last day clubs can option or outright an injured player to the minors, as long as the player did not accrue any MLB Service Time last season. So the Cubs have to make sure to send Alberto Cabrera, Rafael Dolis, John Gaub, and Kyle Smit (the four players presently on the Cubs 40-man roster who did not accrue MLB Service Time last season) to the minors by next Tuesday. Otherwise, if the player is not sent to the minors by Tuesday and then gets hurt, or reports an injury that the player claims occurred sometime earlier, the club has to place the player on its MLB 15-day (or 60-day) Disabled List and pay the player at the major league rate (at least $414K pro-rated) while on the DL, and the player also accrues MLB service time for as long as he is on the DL, too. So I would very much expect the Cubs to option Cabrera, Dolis, Gaub, and Smit to the minors by no later than Tuesday (probably after the weekend Vegas trip). Minor League Spring Taining games start next Thursday, so I would expect the younger NRI players in camp (like Carpenter, Clevenger, B. Jackson, J. Jackson, McNutt, and Vitters) to get sent to Minor League Camp by next Monday or Tuesday. The younger NRI players are not competing for big league jobs (at this time). Rather, they were invited mainly so that the player can get a feel for the big league environment, and so that the manager and coaches can get to know the player's personality and the player's strength and weaknesses for future reference. Next Tuesday is also the last day a player signed to a non-guaranteed major league contract can be released where the club only has to pay him 30 days salary (about 1/6 of his 2011 salary) as termination pay. Players with non-guaranteed major league contracts who are released anytime starting next Wednesday up until MLB Opening Day get 45 days salary (about 1/4 of their 2011 salary) as termination pay. All major league contracts become guaranteed starting on MLB Opening Day, and so a player released after the start of the MLB regular season gets 100% of his salary as temination pay (minus the pro-rated portion of the MLB minumum salary if the player subsequently signs a major league contract with a different club), regardless of whether or not the player signed a guaranteed major league contract. In addition, it's very possible that one or more of the MLB veterans signed by the Cubs to minor league contracts during the off-season (OF Reed Johnson, RHP Braden Looper, INF Augie Ojeda, and RHP Todd Wellemeyer) have an opt-out clause in their contract where the player can demand his release if he's not added to the Cubs 40-man roster (and 25-man roster) by a certain date (usually MLB Opening Day). All things being equal, having an opt-out clause might have an impact on whether a player is cut or not, and that's why (for example) Reed Johnson might win the backup OF job over Fernando Perez (who has one minor league option left), why Augie Ojeda might win the middle-infield back-up gig over Darwin Barney (who the Cubs might want to play everyday at Iowa), and why Wellemeyer and/or Looper might capture a slot on the pitching staff when other pitchers (who have options remaining) have performed just as well.

The Cubs have released 21-year old 6'5 Australian LHP Cody Hams. He's the former cricket star (bowler) who paid his own way to the MLB Australian Baseball Academy in 2007 to try his hand at something called "baseball." The second baseball game he ever saw was one where he was the starting pitcher. (Talk about a blank slate!). The Cubs liked what they saw of Hams and gave him a $150K bonus to sign in March 2008. He apparently did not progress as fast as the Cubs had hoped, however, although I thought that he would get at least another year to prove himself given his lack of baseball background and a solid performance working out of the bullpen in the AZL last summer. With Hams having just been released, and with RHP Adam Spencer and OF Sean Williams getting released a year ago, only one Australian player (RHP Ryan Searle) is left in the Cubs minor league system.

The entire extent of the SunTimes' coverage of yesterday's game: At the plate: Outfielder Brett Jackson gave the Cubs the win in the ninth with a single to left field, which was just one of four hits the North Siders had on the day. They also went a dismal 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position. On the mound: Right-hander Randy Wells continued to make his bid for a spot in the starting rotation, pitching four shutout innings and allowing just one hit, while fanning two and walking one. Kerry Wood also threw a scoreless inning, while Andrew Cashner picked up the win. Up next: vs. White Sox, CSN, 670-AM, MLB.com.

gwah...ninja c'mon...3 run 9th, 2 outs so far also, yet another homer where adults barrel over kids in the OF to catch a ball. i've seen a LOT of this this spring. saw it twice earlier in the week during a LAD game where a kid got absolutely plastered. i'm yet to see one of these class acts give the ball to a kid, either...especially one they trampled over.

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    ...and a madrigal "non-error" leads to a sac fly for a tie game.  nice.

    having a ball clank off your glove, but still getting it count as a hit because it was hit hard is a nice stats gift.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    For sure. This lineup isn’t exactly stacked as is, and subbing out a Cooper or even a Tauchman for Madrigal won’t do it any favors.

  • crunch (view)

    the ESPN bottom graphic taking up 1/8th of the screen sucks.

    i only use ESPN during baseball season and i'm forced to watch a baseball broadcast designed to be broadcast in sports bars and betting parlors where the news/scores of other games is as important as what you're actually tuned in to watch.

  • crunch (view)

    morel triple to start the season....yeaaaaaaaaaaaaah

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    LHP Blake Weiman appears to have been the last cut from the AAA Iowa roster. He is with the Tennessee group at Minor League Camp.

     

  • crunch (view)

    bruce bochy is hobbling rather badly for a guy who's had 2 hip replacements.  his gait is extremely wonky taking the lineup card to the ump.

  • 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 😳