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, twelve players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors, one player is on the 15-DAY IL, and one player is on the 10-DAY IL

Last updated 4-18-2024
 
* 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
Jameson Taillon 
Keegan Thompson
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

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

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

OPTIONED: 12 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Jose Cuas, P 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Luke Little, P 
* Miles Mastrobuoni, INF
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 
Hayden Wesneski, P 

10-DAY IL: 1 
Seiya Suzuki, OF

15-DAY IL: 
* Justin Steele, P   

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




Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

I Predict...

Submitted by Dr. Joseph Hecht on

Swami Murph will predict tomorrow that Todd Wellemeyer will retire!

OK, so it's just a tired old radio bit. Still, like a bad penny (I said BAD not Brad), Former 1969 Left field Bleacher Bums  mad Bugler (maybe it was a Coronet?),  Mike Murphy has returned to the Chicago airwaves on Sundays at 9AM. He's got a new gig with his old sidekick, Fred Huebner, on ESPN - 1000 (listen live link). ESPN has more WSCR refugees than the Orioles have ex-Cubs...although not by much (Orioles lineup today featured Jake Fox, Felix Pie, Ceasar Izturis, Kevin Gregg and DLee, not to mention almost Cub Brian Roberts).

Murph will host a regular show every Sunday from 9-1, bringing his 20 plus years of radio presence, dating back to the WLS "Fan Talk" days ("just fans talking to fans"). "Never been in a locker room Murph", he was never was afraid to read the tough questions from his yellow pad to Cub GM Jim Hendry or replay some of the great play-by-play calls from Jack Brickhouse or reminisce about his playing prowess in 16-inch softball with Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks.

...more after the jump

Murphy was embroiled in a legal despute with CBS and WSCR over a restrictive covenant issue. He has been off the air since June 2009 when his show was replaced by Dan McNeil. To me it was WSCR's final and not so subtle attempt to remove the featured hosts that were Cub fans. Although remaining host, Brian Hanley is a Cub fan, it's not like he wears his Cubness on display. Hanley usually expresses his embarrassment at being a Cub fan which suits WSCR (aka wsux) just  fine.  The catch was that Murphy wasn't fired and was still under contract with CBS Radio thru May 2010 (and apparently he kept getting paid till then). After the contract expired he filed  a class action suit vs CBS radio  which owns WSCR because the contract claimed to block local radio employment vs competitors for 6 months after contract expiration (and 3 months before expiration). The suit has yet to be resolved and as it's a class action suit, I presume there are other CBS radio personnel that were put in employment limbo with similar contracts that date back as far as Jan 2002.

Even though Murph's bits get repetitive and his theories (I like your "angle" sez Murph) are usually off the deep end, I admit I missed his Cub loving presence on Chicago radio. Since Ron Santo is gone, nobody on radio leaves his Cub emotions on his sleeve like Murph.

I'm sure many of the radio bits will be back. I do Hope Reverend Watkins is back too..."The Cubs don't have to be getting better, the other teams just have to get worse". Project .500 couldn't get a better motto.

P.S. Murph... Don't tell anyone this but I was secretly predicting you were going to be Pat Hughes sidekick. I can smell Swami Murph and Swami Fred now {{dons noseplugs}}

Tags
Mike Murphy

Comments

Submitted by Cubster on Sat, 05/07/2011 - 05:44 pm

per E-man: CUBSTER: He has been on for two weeks now, IIRC. I listened to him last week. Its just like "old days" though. Good Sunday baseball talk show. --- Miss a little, miss a lot.

Submitted by QuietMan on Sat, 05/07/2011 - 05:14 pm

If the kool-aid is a little too sweet (or sour) on Murph's show... Barry Rozner and Matt Spiegel do a nice baseball show Sunday mornings over at WSCR.

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Submitted by The E-Man on Sat, 05/07/2011 - 05:51 pm

I agree QM. Jessie Rogers, a former co-host of the show is an idiot and infamous for asking the Cubs former reliever Antonio Alfonseca about his six-finger hands, "So, how did you get those? Were you born with them, or what?" Last week, the same moron when talking about the Atlanta Hawks fans quipped, "I don't know about the Hawks fans there, if they are interested or not. I have no idea if they have had a playoff game there before..." Guess he never heard of Dominique Wilkens. This is someone getting PAID at a sports talk radio station in America's #3 market!

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Submitted by The E-Man on Sun, 05/08/2011 - 05:04 pm

He has only had that gig for one or two years after jumping to WMVP from WSCR. He touts himself as a "Chicago Guy", and as a sports talk show host, to not know that in fact the Bulls crushed HOF's 'Nique's Hawks Playoff team is pretty bad. Its not like he is a 25 year old new on the scene. Not only did they lose to the Bulls in '93 and '97 (Jordan years), Wilkins is a TV analyst for the Hawks. Rogers is in the "media business". He is an idiot and I scratch my head every time he is on the air wondering how he got the job. In thinking about it now, I think it was Mike North. Another imbecile.

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Submitted by Paul Noce on Sun, 05/08/2011 - 05:44 pm

I was never a Mike North fan. Guys who blow their own horn have always pissed me off, hence, I dislike North, Coppock, etc. Murphy might be a goofball but he doesn't seem to take himself too seriously. I can see people not liking him, but I can't see anyone hating him. He's like a fly, sometimes annoying but basically harmless. Speaking of Chet Coppock, Garry Meier, who is on WGN now, told a funny story a while back about how when he was at The LOOP and Coppock would come on after Meier (and Dahl), one day Meier and Dahl screwed with Coppock's microphone, I think they said they rigged it to the light came on like it was on the air, but it wasn't. So Coppock started his show, talking into the mic for several mins, and nothing was heard. They had to go to a commercial, figured out what was wrong, and Coppock started the show again, repeating everything he had said word-for-word, because, as Meier said, he scripted most of his show.

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Submitted by Paul Noce on Sun, 05/08/2011 - 05:23 pm

I'm already shocked the Giants haven't added a real shortstop to the roster, even if it's just one of the many good gloves on AAA rosters who barely hit.

Submitted by crunch on Sat, 05/07/2011 - 05:49 pm

watching the sf/col game..."i wonder what ben petrick is up to" (former COL catcher) popped into my mind. last i heard he retired years ago after being diagnosed with parkinson's disease. i was wonder how he's doing, etc... it turns out it was a misdiagnosis and he actually has lyme disease. what's even freakier is he's about to be on a PBS documentary about lyme disease. http://www.underourskin.com/tv i guess it's better than parkinson's, but that's a hell of a swerve on diagnosis.

Submitted by Confucius Jackson on Sun, 05/08/2011 - 05:30 am

I don't think that WSCR got rid of him because he was a Cub fan. More likely that he happened to be a Cub fan who was also unfortunately a whiney moronic twit who drove listeners like me away. BTW, who's wife did Coppock sleep with (alriiiight, everybody) such that a washed up has been like Murph gets a show before him? I mean, Coppock is washed up too, but once upon a time he did have something approximating talent.

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Submitted by Ryno on Mon, 05/09/2011 - 05:40 am

No shit. I still can't hear the name McPhail without also hearing the clown noises in my head. Murph had his moments, like when he was asking Hendry if it would be a good idea to 'back up the truck' and they got into a heated exchange. I think this is about when Murph stopped getting good interviews. There is a delicate nuance to journalistic probing and Murph just doesn't have it.

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Submitted by QuietMan on Sun, 05/08/2011 - 05:21 pm

Coppock did Talkin' Baseball with Bruce Levine about two years ago or so. Couldn't stand him so I understand why espn radio got rid of him. I thought Coppock and North were doing the internet radio/telecast thing that went bankrupt after that.

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Submitted by Paul Noce on Sun, 05/08/2011 - 05:22 pm

Yeah, I think they both were with that company, and the owner had some financial issues and they were raided by the IRS or FBI, if I recall the story correctly. Last I heard, North had popped up on Comcast Sports Net in the mornings, and I think has moved to CBS. Dan Jiggets is/was with him. That might have been before the internet radio thing, I'm not sure.

Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Sun, 05/08/2011 - 05:26 am

Coello has been starting and improving gradually. Yesterday he pitched a beaut--8 innings, no runs, 4 hits, no walks, 7 strikeouts. He looks like the only pitcher at Iowa who wants that fifth-starter gig, and he may give Doug Davis an argument. I-Cubs won Coello's game 1-0 in the 10th on a home run by Brad Snyder. All five Cub teams, from Peoria up, won yesterday.

Submitted by crunch on Sun, 05/08/2011 - 05:29 pm

great outing by dumpster...crappy one for the bats. 2 runs given up by dumpster. he was taken out of the game for a bat in the bottom 7th. 81 pitches, 7ip 5h 0bb 3k...2er

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Submitted by Ryno on Mon, 05/09/2011 - 05:48 am

Nice. Ninja gets dogged a lot when he does poorly, but nobody has really said anything (until now) about his recent work. He's been doing a helluva job. Understandably, it will probably take some time for him to build up some fan confidence. The Ninja jersey's probably aren't yet flying off the shelves.

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Submitted by crunch on Mon, 05/09/2011 - 05:53 am

all i see out of ninja is a guy that shows up in shape to play, works, doesn't bitch, and doesn't seem to have "baggage." he's just overpaid and not very good. his lack of upper level development is unfortunate, but it doesn't seem to be a result of laziness or lack of focus.

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Submitted by The Real Neal on Mon, 05/09/2011 - 05:07 pm

He's obviously been pitching better, but his xFIP is still essentially 5. No HR's allowed and a BABIP of .182 aren't sustainable trends. I haven't seen any of the games where he's done well, but his problem has been that he didn't have a swing an miss pitch and poor control. He is getting some strikeouts lately, so I have to wonder if something is changed, or if it's just a case of a blind squirrel.

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Submitted by Charlie on Mon, 05/09/2011 - 05:43 pm

When they called him up in 2008, his K pitch was an unpredictable splitter. The problem with that was that he had absolutely no control of it, and that showed in 2009 and 2010.

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Submitted by navigator on Mon, 05/09/2011 - 05:01 pm

Well, I was just looking at his 2008 appearances this morning and if Gameday can be believed, he wasn't throwing splitfingers in 2008. He was relying on his four seamer almost exclusively by the end of the year and hitting 97-98 on the gun. He added a cutter last year and this. And, maybe as a result of that, his fastball has lost 2-3 MPH. But in his last appearance they have him mixing a 4 seam 93 MPH fastball, cutter, slider and changeup and doing it effectively. Has anyone? mentioned that back in 2008 Samardzija was used as a bridge between the SP and the tandem of Carlos Marmol and Kerry Wood and now that Wood is back he's been recast in the same role. Maybe Wood (who also is using a cutter more often) has something to do with his success this year. I wish our braindead media would ask him.

Submitted by Tito on Mon, 05/09/2011 - 05:23 am

Murph was one reason (the other being Mike North) that I couldn't stand listening to the Score for years. Now I'd much rather listen to Spiegel and Rozner (despite him constantly interrupting Spiegel) than dealing with Murph.

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Submitted by Ryno on Mon, 05/09/2011 - 05:43 am

The score is almost always respectful of their Cub listeners. I like listening to them. The afternoon show... the 'by cracky' thing is decidedly annoying, however.

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Submitted by Jumbo on Mon, 05/09/2011 - 05:11 pm

Boers and Bernstein used to bug the fuck out of me - similar to Bob and Tom who always seem to be laughing - but they're generally better than Mac/Carmen,Jurko & Harry. I find myself laughing while listening to them, so I guess they're growing on me. Kinda like tallest midget to be the best afternoon show

Submitted by Paul Noce on Mon, 05/09/2011 - 05:41 pm

Milton Bradley DFA'd. http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2011/05/mariners-designate-milton-bradley… MLBTR also says Rosenthal thinks the Cubs are in position to be contenders the next couple of years and should extend Hendry. I think they should extend Hendry a plank to walk into Lake Michigan with. This is not going to be a contending team the next couple of years unless they do something insane like sign Pujols or Fielder, AND add additional very good players beyond that, and have some kids develop fast and contribute.

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Submitted by Paul Noce on Mon, 05/09/2011 - 05:13 pm

Hmm. This offseason we lose ARam, Pena, Fukudome, Wood. Dempster will most certainly exercise his option because he's not likely to get $14 mil on the open market. So we need a 1b, 3b, possibly a RF if they haven't let Colvin or Jackson get some regular AB's by the end of this year, plus we need to either resign Wood or replace him. I don't see any in house candidate ready to be a rh late inning rp. Regardless, even if they sign Fielder or Pujols, they still need to plug someone in at 3b who can drive in runs, and the free agent market doesn't exist, other than ARam. Whoever replaces ARam is most certainly going to drop off in run production, perhaps a big dropoff. We still have old players in LF, CF, a huge question mark at 2b, and fun but inconsistent SS play. Oh, and a good hitting catcher who is stuck batting 8th. Not to mention no starting pitching depth. I'm not seeing this team compete for the division.

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Submitted by Rob G. on Mon, 05/09/2011 - 05:27 pm

you mean .700 OPS Ramirez? (.745 last year) yeah, how will they ever find that replacement? Not to sound too VA Phil, but I think Marquez Smith could do that now.

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Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Mon, 05/09/2011 - 05:14 pm

Did someone ring? Smith is one possibility, though he's off to a slow start (again?) at Iowa. He looked great in a few at bats in ST but I can't say I ever saw him hit a ball to center or right. He may have a pull-ish tendency that doesn't play in the majors, especially for a small guy. Tennessee has Vitters at third plus two other guys, Flaherty and LeMahieu, who play third occasionally. Of the three, LeMahieu hits consistently. LeMahieu leads that team in doubles, by the way. Wait and see if Vitters can get himself straightened out this season. I'm not making predictions, but I'm hopeful.

Submitted by The E-Man on Mon, 05/09/2011 - 05:19 pm

Quade recently stated how he was struggling w/PT for Colvin. Wondering who is the next AA or AAA lefty in line to take his place if /when he gets sent down? Jackson?

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Submitted by The Real Neal on Mon, 05/09/2011 - 05:21 pm

Well, they're not going to send Colvin down and call up Jackson, who would have the same problem Colvin does. More likely one of the AAA retreads or Aducci.

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Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Mon, 05/09/2011 - 05:18 pm

I-Cubs, no thanks, but I'd gladly watch the Smokies or the D-Cubs over the Cubs. In fact, I drove a long way to see Tennessee play recently.

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Submitted by Eric S on Mon, 05/09/2011 - 05:13 pm

Hits from the correct side of the plate too, yes? Sign him up - i think the bleacherites would appreciate his passion for the game and he'd keep the locker room motivated.

Recent comments

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    I don’t see Tauchman as a weak link in any position. He simply adds his value in a different way.

    I don’t know that we gain much by putting him in the outfield - Happ, Bellinger and Suzuki and Tauchman all field their positions well. If you’re looking for Taucnman’s kind of AB in a particular game I don’t see why it can’t come from DH.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Tauchman gets a pinch hit RBI single with a liner to RF. This is his spot. He's a solid 4th OF. But he isn't a DH. 

    He takes pitches. Useful. I still believe in having good hitters.

    You don't want your DH to be your weak link (other than your C maybe)

  • crunch (view)

    bit of a hot take here, but i'm gonna say it.

    the 2024 marlins don't seem to be good at doing baseballs.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Phil, will the call up for a double header restart that 15 days on assignment for a pitcher? Like will wesneski’s 15 days start yesterday, or if he’s the 27th man, will that mean 15 days from tomorrow?

    I hope that makes sense. It sounds clearer in my head.

  • Charlie (view)

    Tauchman obviously brings value to the roster as a 4th outfielder who can and should play frequently. Him appearing frequently at DH indicated that the team lacks a valuable DH. 

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Totally onboard with your thoughts concerning today’s lineup. Not sure about your take on Tauchman though.

    The guy typically doesn’t pound the ball out out of the park, and his BA is quite unimpressive. But he brings something unique to the table that the undisciplined batters of the past didn’t. He always provides a quality at bat and he makes the opposing pitcher work because he has a great eye for the zone and protects the plate with two strikes exceptionally well. In addition to making him a base runner more often than it seems through his walks, that kind of at bat wears a pitcher down both mentally and physically so that the other guys who may hit the ball harder are more apt to take advantage of subsequent mistakes and do their damage.

    I can’t remember a time when the Cubs valued this kind of contribution but this year they have a couple of guys doing it, with Happ being the other. It doesn’t make for gaudy stats but it definitely contributes to winning ball games. I do believe that’s why Tauchman has garnered so much playing time.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Miles Mastrobuoni cannot be recalled until he has spent at least ten days on optional assignment, unless he is recalled to replace a position player who is placed on an MLB inactive list (IL, Paternity, Bereavement / Family Medical). 

     

    And for a pitcher it's 15 days on optional assignment before he can be recalled, unless he is replacing a pitcher who is placed on an MLB inactive list (IL, Paternity, or Bereavement / Family Medical). 

     

    And a pitcher (or a position player, but almost always it's a pitcher) can be recalled as the 27th man for a doubleheader regardless of how many days he has been on optional assignment, but then he must be sent back down again the next day. 

     

    That's why the Cubs had to wait as long as they did to send Jose Cuas down and recall Keegan Thompson. Thompson needed to spend the first 15 days of the MLB regular season on optional assignment before he could be recalled (and he spent EXACTLY the first 15 days of the MLB regular season on optional assignment before he was recalled). 

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Indeed they do TJW!

    For the record I’m not in favor of solely building a team through paying big to free agents. But I’m also of the mind that when you develop really good players, get them signed to extensions that buy out a couple years of free agency, including with team options. And supplement the home grown players with free agent splashes or using excess prospects to trade for stars under team control for a few years. Sort of what Atlanta does, basically. Everyone talks about the dodgers but I feel that Atlanta is the peak organization at the current moment.

    That said, the constant roster churn is very Rays- ish. What they do is incredible, but it’s extremely hard to do which is why they’re the only ones frequently successful that employ that strategy. I definitely do not want to see a large market team like ours follow that model closely. But I don’t think free agent frenzies is always the answer. It’s really only the Dodgers that play in that realm. I could see an argument for the Mets too. The Yankees don’t really operate like that anymore since the elder Steinbrenner passed. Though I would say the reigning champions built a good deal of that team through free agent spending.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    The issue is the Cubs are 11-7 and have been on the road for 12 of those 18.  We should be at least 13-5, maybe 14-4. Jed isn't feeling any pressure to play anyone he doesn't see fit.
    But Canario on the bench, Morel not at 3B for Madrigal and Wisdom in RF wasn't what I thought would happen in this series.
    I was hoping for Morel at 3B, Canario in RF, Wisdom at DH and Madrigal as a pinch hitter or late replacement.
    Maybe Madrigal starts 1 game against the three LHSP for Miami.
    I'm thinking Canario goes back to Iowa on Sunday night for Mastrobuoni after the Miami LHers are gone.
    Canario needs ABs in Iowa and not bench time in MLB.
    With Seiya out for a while Wisdom is safe unless his SOs are just overwhelmingly bad.

    My real issue with the lineup isn't Madrigal. I'm not a fan, but I've given up on that one.
    It's Tauchman getting a large number of ABs as the de factor DH and everyday player.
    I didn't realize that was going to be the case.
    We need a better LH DH. PCA or ONKC need to force the issue in about a month.
    But, even if they do so, Jed doesn't have to change anything if the Cubs stay a few over .500!!!

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Totally depends on the team and the player involved. If your team’s philosophy is to pay huge dollars to bet on the future performance of past stars in order to win championships then, yes, all of the factors you mentioned are important.

    If on the other hand, if the team’s primary focus is to identify and develop future stars in an effort to win a championship, and you’re a young player looking to establish yourself as a star, that’s a fit too. Otherwise your buried within your own organization.

    Your comment about bringing up Canario for the purposes of sitting him illustrates perfectly the dangers of rewarding a non-performing, highly paid player over a hungry young prospect, like Canario, who is perpetually without a roster spot except as an insurance call up, but too good to trade. Totally disincentivizing the performance of the prospect and likely diminishing it.

    Sticking it to your prospects and providing lousy baseball to your fans, the consumers and source of revenue for your sport, solely so that the next free agent gamble finds your team to be a comfortable landing spot even if he sucks? I suppose  that makes sense to some teams but it’s definitely not the way I want to see my team run.

    Once again, DJL, our differences in philosophy emerge!

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