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

Reds @ Cubs: DeSclafani vs. Haren (Game 131)

Pfffft. Well, that game happened.

The Reds were supposed to be an easy welcome home from the coast. The Cubs offense was a bit improved but should’ve done more damage to the rookie starter, and it would have needed to do a whole lot more to overcome our pitching and the defense of one Starlin Castro.

Castro is a like an abusive lover. He does just enough to woo you and think he’s changed, then he bites your head off. In the parlance of Dan Savage, the Cubs need to DTMFA.

Moving on...

CIN (54-76): RHP Anthony DeSclafani (7-10, 3.84)
CHC (74-56): RHP Dan Haren (8-9, 3.90)
First pitch: 7:05pm

Haren lost to the Giants (6.1 IP, 5 ER) on Thursday. He’s 1-2 with a 6.31 as a Cub. He’s 1-1 with a 2.19 in the two games he had with the Marlins against the Reds. The Reds are 34-133 (.256) against him. Frazier is 4-11 with a HR. Philips is 8-27 with 2 HR.

DeSclafani is coming off of three straight losses, including the last one, to the Dodgers (7 IP, 1 ER), which should been awarded to the Cinci bats. He’s 1-1 with a 0.98 ERA in his two starts against the Cubs this season. The Cubs are 15-64 (.234) against him. Coghlan is 3-4. Montero is 2-4 with a HR.

IF Javy Baez and LHP Tsuyoshi Wada are returning to the Cubs today. RHP Trevor Cahill and OF Quintin Berry (a lefty) are also being promoted, which will require two substractions from the 40-man roster. Mike Olt (and the Cult of Olt) was DFA'd yesterday to make room for Austin Jackson. When Ross returns, that will put the big club at 31. Update: Soriano, who was on the DL, and James Russell were DFA'd, and Ross is back. That puts the roster at 30.

Go Cubs!

 

Comments

Unless the news wires haven't gotten word yet, I guess the Cubs were not successful finding some pitching help. The back of this rotation, which seems to start with Hendricks, doesn't inspire confidence. Cult of Olt

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

Signing Haren was very curious, at best. An over-the-hill fly ball pitcher can survive at Wrigley in April, May & June, when it's cold and the wind tends to blow in (i.e. the ballpark plays "big"). But, signing him to pitch at Wrigley in July, August & Sept., when it's warm and the wind tends to blow out...well, Theo, what did you expect? Gotta believe the Reds will be running up to the plate to get their swings against Haren tonight. Come on, offense -- we're gonna need another 6-7 runs tonight!

[ ]

In reply to by billybucks

i think they were just throwing shit at the wall to see what sticks. they wanted to push for the post-season without giving up anything. thank gawd for the cubs winning tear and SF's failure tear...hopefully that holds up until the season ends. once we're into the post-season (if that happens) then it doesn't matter about the 4-5 slot pitchers. arguably, the pen is much more important at that point when it comes to anyone but the top-3 starters.

"This is the show. We have certain expectations here. That's why you don't play." from a Tweet from Arrieta. I who do you think he is talking about.

Jeff Russell and Rafael Soriano DFA's to make room for the callups (Berry and Cahill)

just a theoretical thought...if Dusty was manager (WWDD) or if Lou (WWLD) was manager... would Javy Baez be in tonight's lineup? my thought is: Dusty... Bonifacio would have been brought up and started at 2B Lou..."I like playing the kids, really I do, but but but Jonathan Herrera really needs to play to stay sharp."

[ ]

In reply to by Cubster

obviously.... dusty would have to start baez because both lastella + castro would be pitching because all the other pitcher's arms would have fallen off months ago. it would piss dusty off because baez is a rookie and theo couldn't go out and get him a 39 year old DH to play 2nd. i imagine it would be a 2-box-of-toothpicks night. lou would have quit his job already, so that's irrelevant and a trick question.

Rays DFA Hak-Ju Lee. Olt for Lee and the circle of life is complete

It'll be interesting to see if Baez is still a whirling dervish at the plate. He's rocking it good in AAA, and I've read some good stuff, so fingers crossed.

ah, the fair weather fans are back at wrigley. long popout to CF, not even on the track, and 1/2 the place was popping and cheering like it was gonna end up out of the park.

The Mariners recalled RHP Tony Zych from Triple-A Tacoma. First big league action for the former Cub prospect.

Baez strikes out in his first at bat, but not whirling dervish style. Just missed it, didn't unwind like a uncoiling spring - just a clean miss. Call me optimistic, but I call that progress.

Be nice if someone other than the Ace was capable of a shutdown inning after the Cubs score. Can't even get the freaking pitcher out.

c.richard pitching in a game where the team is only down by 1? barf. ...2 batters, 0 outs, and 1 run later it's grimm's turn.

[ ]

In reply to by John Beasley

JOHN B: Pierce Johnson and Rob Zastryzny were likely 2015 AFL candidates (I mentioned them as likely candidates to get assigned to the AFL in an article about the AFL last month) because they are starting pitchers who missed part of the season due to injuries and they need to accrue more innings. Guys who have been pitching regularly as starters have thrown too many innings to be considered, so it probably came down to Johnson, Zastryzny, and Duane Underwood Jr, with Underwood odd man out because he hasn't pitched above Hi-A. Corey Black and Jeimer Candelario (and Pierce Johnson) are first-time Rule 5 Draft eligible after this season and so getting reps in the AFL will help the Cubs decide whether to add them to the MLB 40-man roster in November (if there are even any doubts at this point). Black has a golden arm but he has had control issues forever and he needs more experience working out of the bullpen (he was moved to the bullpen during the 2015 season). He was a starter because he featured a 96 MPH fastball, a plus-change, a curve, and a hard slider, but his size (5'11 175), nervous energy, and max-effort delivery plays better in relief. Candelario will soon replace both Mike Olt and Christian Villanueva as the Cubs #1 3B prospect. (With the year he has had at Myrtle Beach and Tennessee, Candelario has played himself back into the Cubs Top 10 Prospect List). Willson Contreras is eligible to be a Rule 55 minor league free-agent (6YFA) post-2015, but the fact that he has been assigned to the AFL means at the very least he has agreed to a 2016 minor league successor contract (can't be officially signed until 9/15), but he is a lock to be added to the 40-man roster anyway. Playing in the AFL will get him more experience catching MLB pitching prospects than he got at Tennessee. Like Candelario, Contreras has played himself into the Cubs Top 10 Prospect list with his breakout 2015 season at AA, and he is certainly the Cubs #1 catching prospect right now. Mark Zagunis was drafted by the Cubs as a catcher out of the U. of Virginia in the 3rd round of the 2014 Draft and was tried in RF at AZL instructs post-2014 (and looked great out there) before moving to RF full-time at Minor League Camp last March, and while he has been overshadowed by other more well-known prospects (Schwarber, McKinney, Almora, et al), Zagunis is absolutely a legitimate MLB prospect. He is a line-drive hitter with an outstanding eye at the plate and excellent strike-zone judgment, and he has above-average speed, too (he was compared to Jason Kendall when he was a catcher). and he is an OBP machine. Zagunis is not Rule 5 Draft eligible, but the Cubs may expect him to move fast through the system and want to challenge him by assigning him to the AFL. It would really help his cause a lot if he could play CF adequately (he has played CF every now & then), but he is still learning to play RF. Cael Brockmeyer was given an NRI to Spring Training with the big club this past February, and so the Cubs must like his receiving skills and work-ethic. The Cubs moved him back & forth from one affiliate to another (wherever he was needed) during the course of the 2015 season, and they wouldn't do that unless they thought he was mature enough to handle it. Some people think that at 6'5 Brockmeyer is too tall to be a catcher, but I think he will probably end up as an MLB back-up C-1B type. He is on the Mesa Solar Sox "Taxi Squad," so he will only be allowed to play on Wednesdays and Saturdays, unless there is an injury to one of the other catchers and he gets elevated to the full-time status. Like Zagunis and Zastryzny, Brockmeyer is NOT Rule 5 Draft eligible post-2015. The only real surprise (to me) among the Cubs players assigned to the AFL was RHRP David Garner, because I thought a more-advanced reliever like P. J. Francescon, Matt Brazis, Michael Jensen, Tayler Scott, or James Pugliese would be the more-likely choice. Garner actually began the season at Extended Spring Training because of his struggles at Minor League Camp, but he got it together fairly quickly, and had a nice year out of the bullpen, first at South Bend and then (especially) later at Myrtle Beach. Garner is a two-pitch pitcher who features a mid-90's heater and a plus-curve. He is NOT Rule 5 Draft eligible post-2015.

Nice bounce back game for Grimm, and "well done" Dan Haren. We'll take that (almost) every time.

That pitch Schwarber hit is the kind he's been missing a lot of lately. When Schwarber struggles it reminds me of how hard it is to hit baseballs at that level. It doesn't seem like they've found a weakness, just that he isn't seeing the ball that great and just missing. Same with Rizzo the last few days. Regardless of what the other fellas said in the thread earlier, I was pretty encouraged with Baez. The violent swing seems to be much more under control, and he took more bad pitches than he swung at. There were two pitches in particular that I bet the other team thought he'd swing at. One game, and no hits, but I liked what I saw.

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    cubs getting crazy good at not having player moves leak.

    taillon we 100% know is pitching tonight.  who he's replacing and any additional moves are unknown as far as i can tell.

    p.wisdom was not in today's lineup in iowa (rained out) and he was removed from the game last night mid-game, but not for injury.  good bet he's with the team in the bigs, too.

  • 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?