Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full), plus two players are on the 60-DAY IL 

26 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, ten players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors, two players are on the 15-DAY IL, and two players are on the 10-DAY IL

Last updated 4-17-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 13
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Colten Brewer
Ben Brown
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Mark Leiter Jr
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
Keegan Thompson
Hayden Wesneski 
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

INFIELDERS: 7
* Michael Busch 
Garrett Cooper
Nico Hoerner
Nick Madrigal
* Miles Mastrobuoni
Christopher Morel
Dansby Swanson

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Cody Bellinger 
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

OPTIONED: 10 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Jose Cuas, P 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Luke Little, P 
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 

10-DAY IL: 2 
Seiya Suzuki, OF
Patrick Wisdom, INF 

15-DAY IL: 2
* Justin Steele, P  
Jameson Taillon, P 

60-DAY IL: 2 
Caleb Kilian, P 
Julian Merryweather, P
 





Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

NL Central Curse Hits Cubs; Cashner and Wells Headed to DL

Patrick Mooney of CSN is reporting on his twitter account that Randy Wells and Andrew Cashner are both going to the disabled list.

Wells goes down with a forearm strain that no one knew anything about, Cashner's injury is his rotator cuff. I'm sure more details will be forthcoming. Mooney reports neither will throw for 2 weeks with the Cubs being cautious in April and Casey Coleman is sure to be one of the pitchers to join the rotation.

Some updates after the jump...

From Hendry...

Hendry said both pitchers would be shut down for from 10 days to two weeks and then will be reevaluated. Hendry said there were "no surgical possibilities" with either pitcher.

Cashner's rotator-cuff strain was termed "very mild" by Hendry, and he said that Wells' injury was strictly muscular in nature and did not involve the elbow.

Q-Ball said he'd try to limit the need of a 5th starter. Now if neither of them will pick up a ball for 10-14 days, you need to tack on at least a week or two before they can join the rotation. So here's what the rotation could look like if Z stops drinking too many Red Bulls before games. I'll use Russell as a placeholder for now.

  • Today (6th) - Dempster
  • Thursday (7th) - Off Day
  • Friday(8th) - Zambrano
  • Saturday(9th) - Garza
  • Sunday(10th) - Coleman
  • 11th @Houston - Dempster
  • 12th @Houston - Russell
  • 13th @Houston - Zambrano
  • 14th - Off Day
  • 15th @Rockies - Garza
  • 16th @Rockies - Coleman
  • 17th @Rockies - Dempster (might switch Coleman/Dempster here)
  • 18th vs. Padres - Zambrano
  • 19th vs. Padres - Russell
  • 20th vs. Padres - Garza
  • 21st - Off Day
  • 22nd vs. Dodgers - Dempster
  • 23rd vs. Dodgers - Zambrano
  • 24th vs. Dodgers - Coleman
  • 25th vs. Rockies - Garza
  • 26th vs. Rockies - Russell
  • 27th vs. Rockies - Dempster
  • 28th @ DBacks - Zambrano
  • 29th @ DBacks - Coleman
  • 30th @ DBacks - Garza
  • 1st @ DBacks - Russell
  • 2nd @ Dodgers - Dempster
  • 3rd @ Dodgers - Zambrano
  • 4th @ Dodgers - Coleman
  • 5th - Off Day
  • 6th vs. Reds - Garza
  • 7th vs. Reds - Dempster
  • 8th vs. Reds - Zambrano
  • 9th - Off Day

Then the Cardinals come into town and by that point hopefully Wells and/or Cashner will be ready to go.

Comments

Hendry not expecting either to be long term issues. I assume with 2 weeks of nothing and another 2 weeks of rehabbing if everything goes well? ugh probably old news, but Alex Maestri released according to Goldstein (apologies if Phil already reported it). He mentions Huseby as well, but I do recall Phil scooping that one already.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Submitted by Rob G. on Wed, 04/06/2011 - 9:37am. Witty says Russell in mix to start Tuesday, Coleman is certain to start Sunday vs. Brewers. ============================================= ROB G: Only Casey Coleman, Thomas Diamond, Robert Coello, J. R. Mathes, and Austin Bibens-Dirkx are stretched-out as starters at Iowa, and since I doubt that the Cubs would bring up any of the Tennessee guys to Chicago right now, I guess it's Coleman for sure on Sunday, and then either the Cubs bring up Diamond or Coello (probably Diamond) for Tuesday, or move Russell to the starting rotation (he was being stretched-out as a starter early in Cactus League play before being moved to the bullpen), and bring up Jeff Stevens or Scott Maine from Iowa to replace Russell in the pen. What this will do is start an upward movement for a few pitchers in the minors, as probably Hung-Wen Chen (long-relief at Tennessee but has starter experience at AAA) and either Chris Rusin or Brooks Raley (the two most "mature" starters at Tennessee) will perhaps get moved temporariliy into the Iowa starting rotation if Coleman and Diamond move up, or Chen and either Blake Parker or Ryan Buchter (Chen, Parker, and Buchter were the last cuts from Iowa) would probably move up if Coleman and Stevens or Maine get recalled, and if Rusin or Raley get moved up to Iowa, then Rob Whitenack (last cut from Tennessee) will likely move up to the Tennessee rotation from Daytona, and either Jeffrey Beliveau or Jordan Latham will move up to the Tennessee bullpen from Daytona. Daytona already has 13 pitchers and they were probably going to have to drop one to make room for Welington Castillo (who will be the DH at Daytona), and so then only one pitcher at Peoria would move up to Daytona, or one of the older and/or more experienced pitchers assigned to EXST (like Larry Suarez, Luis Liria, Matt Loosen, or Casey Harman) could just move-up directly to Daytona from Fitch Park.

Fuku, Castro, Byrd, Ramirez, Colvin, Soriano, Soto, DeWitt, Dempster vs. Bloomquist, C. Young, Johnson, Upton, Montero, Mora, Miranda, Parra, Galarraga

[ ]

In reply to by Paul Noce

That would be Wrigley Premium Tickets across the street. According to their web site (which hasn't been updated since last year because...well... why bother?) they and the Cubs are both owned by "Chicago Cubs Holdings" which is the Ricketts family. So, I dunno about the rest of you, but I'm wondering if these sales of tickets from the Cubs to Wrigley Premium Tickets are real sales or does WPT return unsold tickets to the Cubs? Since the Cubs have to give MLB 31% of ticket sales revenue, it sure would make sense not to book sales to a company you also own, only to have them be unable to unload them, leaving you owing 31% of a fictious ticket sale to the league. Of course, the act of not really selling the tickets to Wrigley Premium Tickets is, on the face of it, criminal activity anywhere except maybe Illinois.

Wells said he felt something in the forearm after his final tuneup start of spring training. He said he had a lot of discomfort yesterday, so both he and Cashner had MRIs. It's tough to tell at this point when either will be back. It all depends on how they respond to rest and treatment.
http://blogs.dailyherald.com/node/5429

I think what I would do regarding the Cubs starting rotation over the next week is this: I would have Casey Coleman make his scheduled Opening Night start at Round Rock (Austin, TX) tomorrow night and get fully stretched-out, and then join the Cubs in Houston next week and start the game Tuesday night. Because Coleman wouldn't actually be recalled until Tuesday, I would recall a reliever (either Stevens, Maine, or Caridad) from Iowa. I would start James Russell in Milwaukee on Sunday (his last game would have been Cashner's start yesterday, so he would be throwing with four days rest), and I would recall either Thomas Diamond or Robert Coello as a long-reliever (both are stretched-out as starters) to back-up Russell, since Russell never threw more than three innings or 60 pitches in Cactus League play. I just don't want a lefty fly ball pitcher like Russell to get the Tuesday night start at Houston. It would be better to have Russell throw in Milwaukee on Sunday. Then I would option Diamond or Coello (whichever one was recalled for Sunday's game) back to Iowa on Monday when I recall Coleman.

[ ]

In reply to by VirginiaPhil

I would really love to see a study on how often this pays off vs bites you in the ass. To me, if a player is a starter because he's a better player, then he's a better player. Runs are runs are runs. I would bet that it's more likely that a starter's bat is taken out and subsequently needed, than a defensive replacement makes a play that the starter wouldn't have, which impacts the outcome of the game. It just seems like I am more likely to say "I sure wish Soriano's bat was in the lineup here" than I am to say "Wow, Reed Johnson made that play that Soriano would have had no chance on." Of course, there are some other benefits such as keeping your bench guys sharp and your starters rested. Also I am the guy that thinks the outfielders in band boxes should play closer to home, because in high HR environments the risk of singles is more significant than of doubles and triples - so what do I know?

Recent comments

  • Bill (view)

    A good rule of thumb is that if you trade a near-ready high ceiling prospect, you should get at least two far-away high ceiling prospects in return.  Like all rules-of-thumb, it depends upon the specific circumstances, but certainly, we weren't going to get Busch for either prospect alone.

  • Sonicwind75 (view)

    Right on schedule, just read an article in Baseball America entitled "10 MLB Prospects Outside The Top 100 Who Have Our Attention".  Zyhir Hope was one of the prospects featured. It stated that he's "one of the biggest arrow-up sleeper prospects in the lower levels right now."

     

    Not sharing to be negative about the trade, getting a top 100 prospect who is MLB ready should carry a heavy prospect cost.  But man, Dodger sure are good at identifying and developing young talent. Andrew Friedman seems to have successfully merged Ray's development with Yankees financial might to create a juggernaut of an organization.  

  • Sonicwind75 (view)

    I suspect Brown will spend some time in the bullpen due to inning restrictions.  Pitched only 93 innings last year and career high is 104 innings in 2022.  I would expect them to be cautious with a young player with his injury history.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    I wanted Almonte gone last week, but that was before Merryweather went down and Little got demoted. Almonte in his last 5 appearances has gone 4.1 IP with no ER or Runs. NO hits, 3 BBs and 8 SO. He did hit 96 with his 2S FB in AZ on Tues.
    I don't see Jed waiving him when we have injuries all over and guys with options that can be sent down.
    I probably won't like the move Jed makes, but he can't play the "let's hope no one wants his 1.7mil remaining deal and we can hide him in Iowa" card.
    That's why I think the current Bullpen stays as is and Wicks goes to Iowa.
    I don't like that, but that's the fix I see.
    We'll find out soon enough!!!

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Teheran minor league deal is done, per MLB.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Based on Phil’s sound analysis it sounds like a no brainer for Almonte to be placed on waivers as today’s roster move. We shall see.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    I suspect Counsell/Hottovy will use the piggy-back extensively, with Taillon and Hendricks pitching as the "pig" (and with a very short leash) and some combo of Wicks, Brown, and Wesneski (whichever two do not start) as the "backers."  

    Keep in mind that Keegan Thompson has a minor league option available, and if Yency Almonte is not outrighted by 4/26 he cannot be sent to the minors without his consent after that date. Almonte is out of minor league options, so I am talking about him getting outrighted to the minors if he is not claimed off waivers, and if he is claimed off waivers, the Cubs save the pro-rated portion of his $1.9M salary, which helps lower the Cubs 2024 AAV.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Totally agree. The 26 man roster very rarely consists of the 13 best position players and 13 best pitchers.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Based on what Jed has done in the past, I’d say the plan is to

    -give Hendricks another few starts
    -give Taillon some runway ot get his season underway

    -Mix and match in the bullpen and see what sticks

    Jed usually doesn’t do a whole lot of waiver wire plays in-season, at least early in the season. He only reallly did that after he blew up the rosters in 21 and 22 because they needed bodies (guys like Schwindel, Fargas, etc).

    I think he’s a little handcuffed by a full 40 man in that he can’t really maneuver much with giving anyone showing ability at AAA (R Thompson/ Sanders/ Edwards etc). Brewer has the most tenuous grip there, and we will see what kind of chance he gets. Other than his spot, there isn’t a ton of 40 man wiggle room.

    I’m very curious to see what happens with Brown now that Taillon returns. Bullpen? Wicks to Iowa? 

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Pro teams have to play their "big money" guys if they are healthy and not "locker room" issues.
    The Cubs wanted to deal JHey off well before they bought him out. They just didn't want to pay him to play for someone else for that long. Jed did give him 20+mil to play for LAD last yr.
    Jed might also let Kyle walk at some point this year. Similar scenario to JHey, except Jed thought Kyle was going to be good/solid in '24!!
    You'd think Smyly is in the same book as well. Same with Neris (he's a 1yr vet RP, so he's not really in this convo too much).
    That's ~35mil between those three and those three are going to get opportunities until at least late June) over younger guys even if their performance is "iffy".
    But, Jed is going to play Taillon a lot. They have to try and justify that contract and hope a veteran works out.
    So, Taillon, Imanaga, and Hendricks are locks for the rest of April and probably May.
    Assad, Brown and Wicks handle the last spots until Steele is ready.
    Now, you're question has real merit when Steele comes back. That will interesting if Brown is still good and Hendricks is still bad. But Taillon is entirely safe as long as he's healthy.

    And the bullpen moves were "money" based as well. Smyly has actually been okay. But he hasn't been clearly better than Little. Little had one bad outing. But Smyly makes 9mil. If they needed another RHRP and one of Little and Smyly had to go, it was going to Little. But that doesn't mean Smyly is one of the best 13 arms for the team.