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

Valbuena & Maysonet Rally White Squad to Victory

Luis Valbuena smacked a two-out two-run HR into the upper bullpen beyond the RF fence in the bottom of the 4th to turn a one run deficit into a one run lead, and then after the Blue Squad pushed across a run to tie the game in the top of the 5th, Edwin Maysonet blasted a three-run HR with two outs in the bottom of the frame to lift the White Squad to a 6-3 victory in a five-inning intrasquad game played this afternoon at Dwight Patterson Field at HoHoKam Park in Mesa, AZ.

Brett Jackson (two singles and a double) and Dave Sappelt (two doubles and a single) had three hits a piece for the Blue Squad.

After rolling out 4-3 twice in yesterday's game, B-Jax showed a really nice stroke in all three of his AB today, driving an opposite-field double into the left-center alley off LHP Brooks Raley leading off the game (before stealing 3rd & scoring on a Darnell McDonald RBI single), ripping a hard ground ball single through the 3.5 hole with two outs in the top of the 2nd (also off Raley), and stroking a line-drive single to right-center off Drew Carpenter with two outs in the 4th. He also made a fine running catch to rob Steve Clevenger of extra bases.

Sappelt hammered a single in the 1st off Raley, and then a double off the right-centerfield fence in the 3rd inning off Shawn Camp. Sappelt also collected a "gift" double leading off the 5th (and later scored the tying run on a Christian Villanueva RBI double) when White Squad CF Matt Szczur lost a routine fly ball in the sun.

Brooks Raley got the start for the White Squad and labored through his two innings of work (55 pitches - only 28 strikes), allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits and a walk. The damage probably would have been a lot worse if not for a timely & nifty Raley pick-off of baserunner Darnell McDonald (froze him like the proverbial "Deer in Headlights") at 1st base after McDonald drove-home Brett Jackson with the game's first run in the top of the 1st.

Alberto Cabrera started for the Blue Squad and had an outing worthy of Carlos Marmol, walking four while striking out three in two innings. Cabrera racked up a lot of strikeouts but struggled with his command while pitching in the Dominican Winter League post-2012, too (13/20 BB/K in 14.1 IP), so today's performance was probably not an aberration. Like Marmol, Cabrera has nasty stuff and is sometimes virtually unhittable, but he has had a lot of trouble finding the strike zone lately.

Japanese RHP Kyuji Fujikawa made his U. S. (and Cub) game debut today, throwing a scoreless inning. He obviously has an effective splitter, and had several of the White Squad hitters flailing away at it.

The two late long-balls were surrendered by Michael Bowden (the Luis Valbuena two-run bomb in the 4th) and Blake Parker (the game-winning Edwin Maysonet three-run dinger in the 5th). Parker allowed two hits and threw a wild pitch to put runners at 2nd & 3rd with no outs, but looked like he might get out of the jam when he struck out Johermyn Chavez (looking) and Junior Lake (swinging). But then Maysonet drilled his game-winning shot over the LF fence to give the White Squad the victory.

Johermyn Chavez has had an inauspicious debut in a Cub uniform (he was signed as a Six-Year Minor League FA post-2012 after spending seven seasons in the Seattle organization). Besides being the last player to arrive in Camp (not the best way to make a good first impression), Chavez (playing RF) kicked & threw the ball around in the top of the second in today's game, making two careless errors on the same play (one fielding & one throwing). And while he did draw walks in his first two AB, he also swung at a pitch in the dirt (Parker's WP) and then struck out (looking) with no outs and the potential winning run at 3rd base in the bottom of the 5th (the pre-planned final inning of the game).

Chavez was a Mariner Top 10 Prospect just a couple of years ago, but after struggling at AA in 2011 and 2012 (hitting just 222/322/369 in 201 AA games), he was outrighted off the Seattle 40-man roster and became a Rule 55 minor league free-agent (6YFA), signing with the Cubs last November.

Here is the unofficial box score from today‘s game:

BLUE SQUAD LINEUP:
1. Brett Jackson, CF: 3-3 (2B, 1B, 1B, R, SB)
2. Darnell McDonald, LF: 2-3 (1B, L-8, 1B, RBI, PO)
3. Rafael Lopez, C: 0-2 (BB, L-3, K)
4. Dave Sappelt, DH: 3-3 (1B, 2B, 2B, R)
5. Brian Bogusevic, RF: 0-3 (K, 4-3, 6-3)
6. Christian Villanueva, 3B: 1-2 (6-4 FC, BB, 2B, RBI)
7. Alberto Gonzalez, 2B: 0-3 (6-3, 5-3, 6-3)
8. Brad Nelson, 1B: 0-3 (4-3, F-8, 3-U)
9. Javier Baez, SS: 1-2 (1B, 5-3, R)

WHITE SQUAD LINEUP:
1. Logan Watkins, 2B: 0-3 (K, K, 4-3)
2. Matt Szczur, CF: 1-2 (BB, 6-3, 1B, R, CS)
3. Steve Clevenger, C: 1-3 (F-8, F-8, 1B, R)
4. Johermyn Chavez, RF: 0-1 (BB, BB, K, R)
5. Junior Lake, 3B: 0-2 (BB, P-3, K)
6. Edwin Maysonet, SS: 1-3 (K, P-4, HR, R, 3 RBI)
7. Brent Lillibridge, 1B: 1-2 (2B, BB, 6-3, R, RBI)
8. Jorge Soler, LF: 0-1 (BB, F-7)
9. Luis Valbuena, DH: 1-2 (P-2, HR, R, 2 RBI)

BLUE SQUAD PITCHERS
1. Alberto Cabrera: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 4 BB, 3 K, 37 pitches (13 strikes), 0/2 GO/FO
2. Kyuji Fujikawa: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K, 22 pitches (13 strikes), 1/2 GO/FO
3. Michael Bowden: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R (2 ER), 1 BB, 0 K, 1 HR, 17 pitches (11 strikes), 1/2 GO/FO
4. Blake Parker: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R (3 ER), 0 BB, 2 K, 1 HR, 1 WP, 22 pitches (17 strikes), 1/0 GO/FO 

WHITE SQUAD PITCHERS
1. Brooks Raley: 2.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 1 K, 1 PO, 55 pitches (28 strikes), 3/1 GO/FO
2. Shawn Camp: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K, 16 pitches (7 strikes), 2/1 GO/FO
3. Drew Carpenter: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 14 pitches (8 strikes), 1/1 GO/FO
4. Jensen Lewis: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 0 K, 19 pitches (13 strikes), 3/0 GO/FO  

BLUE SQUAD ERRORS: NONE

WHITE SQUAD ERRORS: 2
1. RF Johermyn Chavez - E-9 - fielding error on a ground single to RF allowed batter to advance an extra base
2. RF Johermyn Chavez - E-9 - throwing error allowed one runner to score unearned run from 3rd base and another to advance from 2nd to 3rd 

BLUE SQUAD CATCHERS DEFENSE:
Rafael Lopez: 1-1 CS

WHITE SQUAD CATCHERS DEFENSE:
Steve Clevenger: 0-1 CS

ATTENDANCE: 161

WEATHER: Sunny & cool with temperatures in the low 60's

 

Comments

FREE BRETT JACKSON...TRADE SORIANO, TRADE DEJESUS, CUT EVERYONE ELSE. RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWR. also, is zac rosscup seeing any action with the ST crew or just mini-camp? i'm willing to look past the fact he's a dubstep/trap music fan and still root for him.

BBAmerica top 100 with 0/80 scale ranking + ETAs... 16 Javier Baez ss, Cubs Age: 20. ETA: 2014. Bat: 60. Power: 65. Speed: 50. Defense: 55. Arm: 65. 33 Albert Almora of, Cubs Age: 18. ETA: 2015. Bat: 65. Power: 50. Speed: 55. Defense: 75. Arm: 60. 34 Jorge Soler of, Cubs Age: 21. ETA: 2015. Bat: 60. Power: 70. Speed: 50. Defense: 55. Arm: 70. 83 Arodys Vizcaino rhp, Cubs Age: 22. ETA: 2014. Fastball: 70. Curve: 70. Changeup: 50. Control: 60. Command: 55. ...they're really bullish on almora showing up early. he turns 21 april 2015.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

I don't buy those ETAs. Baez is likely to hit some bumps along the way, and SS isn't going to be some gaping hole to fill. Vizcaino should make it to Wrigley this year, barring further injury (in which case there is no ETA). Soler in 2015 seems reasonable. But if Jackson is fixed enough to get on base at a respectable rate and Soler makes it Wrigley in 2015, then there is no rush for Almora--I have a hard time imagining that they will let either Jackson or Almora occupy LF in a season in which they might contend. I don't really see any of these guys spending significant time in the majors until they are 23 or so, unless they absolutely light up every level of the minors they see. I'm also not really sure where that 50 power rating is coming from for Almora--that's all projection, I guess.

ATTENDANCE: 161 Modest win streak, attendance quadruples. Phil, I think of you while I shovel the snow you lucky SOB. Thanks for keeping us warm.

i can't figure out if this is good news or bad news...then i remember that our starting RF is nate schierholtz and it all seems moot. "With the recent injury to Ian Stewart, Luis Valbuena has the opportunity to open the season as the Cubs' starting third baseman."

Are the scrubs pitching mainly to give the big league starters more time to get ready?

[ ]

In reply to by Jumbo

JUMBO: I think the idea is to give the pitchers who are either "on the bubble" or not likely to make the Opening Day roster as much game action as possible in the early part of Spring Training, since innings will be hard to come by as it gets closer to Opening Day. 

Another factor is that some pitchers (especially relievers and young pitchers) can get ready to pitch in games sooner than some of the others, so they get first call to arms. 

I always love the February write-ups the best, Phil, thank you. Any idea what kind of speed Fujikawa was throwing on that splitter?

[ ]

In reply to by John Beasley

JOHN B: The general public (or "lay people" as Mel Brooks would say) were not allowed anywhere near Theo, Hoyer, McCleod and the other dozen or so members of the Cubs Front Office who were sitting in the first four rows behind home plate (both games), and that's where the only gun in the house was located (there were no scouts at the games). But just based upon my own personal observations, I would describe Fuji's splitter as a hard splitter with good tumbling action. I wasn't as impressed with his fastball, but it's early and at least he does throw it for strikes. It looks like his approach is to get ahead in the count by painting a corner with his fastball and then try to get the batter to chase the splitter (which often is not a strike).  

I think Fujikawa could very well be the closer. Whether Marmol would get traded or moved to a set-up role I can't say, but I've always liked Marmol better as a set-up guy who can come into a game with men on base and strand the inherited runners, because he has a "puncher's chance" of striking out the side if need be. (There was one season when Marmol and Michael Wuertz were unbelievable at stranding inherited runners, and when a reliever or two are able to do that consistently, the team wins more games).

And if Marmol is used as a set-up man and has one of those days where he has command issues, there would be somebody else "throwing behind him" if he can't find home plate. Of course Marmol wants to be the closer, and I'm not sure how willing he would be to go back to being a set-up guy at this stage of his career, especially since he will be a free-agent post-2013.   

"#Cubs Scott Baker threw 45 pitches in bullpen Sat. Will do at least 2 sim games/live BP before he gets in a game. Says he feels good"

i try to go to cubs.com and Firefox asks me if i meant cbs.com and if i needed protection from possible harmful sites. i see what u did there.

the most expensive piece of the TOR/MIA trade that MIA kept is now injured...$1.5m 2013 + $1.5m 2014... "Jeff Mathis was diagnosed with a broken collarbone and is expected to miss six weeks." ...hit by a foul tip.

Carrie Muskat ‏@CarrieMuskat Today's #Cubs lineup: DeJesus CF, Castro SS, Rizzo 1B, Soriano LF, Schierholtz RF, Navarro C, Bogusevic DH, Barney 2B, Villanueva 3B

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.