Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full) 

42 players are at MLB Spring Training 

31 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE at MLB Spring Training, and nine players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors. 
11 players are MLB Spring Training NON-ROSTER INVITEES (NRI) 

Last updated 3-17-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 17
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Caleb Kilian
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Hector Neris 
Daniel Palencia
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
Jameson Taillon
Hayden Wesneski 
* Jordan Wicks

NRI PITCHERS: 5 
Colten Brewer 
Carl Edwards Jr 
* Edwin Escobar 
* Richard Lovelady 
* Thomas Pannone 

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

NRI CATCHERS: 2  
Jorge Alfaro 
Joe Hudson 

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

NRI INFIELDERS: 3 
David Bote 
Garrett Cooper
* Dominic Smith

OUTFIELDERS: 5
* Cody Bellinger 
Alexander Canario
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

NRI OUTFIELDERS: 1 
* David Peralta

OPTIONED:
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Ben Brown, RHP 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, RHP 
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Keegan Thompson, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 

 



Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Forget The Future, Win Now!

GAME 57 PREVIEW TORONTO BLUE JAYS (30-28) at CHICAGO CUBS (30-26) Wrigley Field, 7.05pm CT, TV: CSN, RSN
SP *Glendon Rusch SP Josh Towers
LF Reed Johnson SS #Neifi Perez
RF Alex Rios 2B *Todd Walker
CF Vernon Wells 1B Derrek Lee
1B Shea Hillenbrand RF *Jeromy Burnitz
3B Aaron Hill 3B Aramis Ramirez
2B Frank Menechino CF *Corey Patterson
C #Gregg Zaun LF *Todd Hollandsworth
SS John McDonald C Michael Barrett
Pitcher's spot Pitcher's spot
It's been a hard day's drafting for the Cubs. Now they've got a ballgame to play too. Patterson and Walker return to the lineup, and Glendon Rusch, with a multitude of freshly drafted young arms queuing up behind him, takes the mound. Go Cubs!

Comments

Watching the cubs pre-game apparently sosa blasted the cubs, anyone know what he said?

Sammy Solo did blast a homerun today, his 6th.

I don't know what's worrying me more right now... the fact that we're pulling Rusch out and letting our bullpen try to hold a close game for 3 full innings? or the fact that JOSE MACIAS is pinch-hitting for him.

So can we assume Dusty has given up on Dubois or forgotten just how much Holly sucks as an everyday player? This is the third game in a row Dusty's benched Dubois against a RHP.

Technically, the cat was black and white, and completely freaked out. The Cubs don't need to attribute losing to superstitions and curses as long as Corey continues to forget where he is and decides to try to hit Santo in the booth. Oh, and let's not forget his maddeningly consistent approach of swinging at the first pitch against A NEW FRIGGIN' PITCHER. Is this a Tribune Directive or something? The bases are loaded, Corey, how 'bout using all three of your allotted strikes to attempt to make something happen? To his credit, the throw to 3rd was quite nice, but that does not excuse his continued boneheaded playing style. It seemed like a strange night at Wrigley tonight. I'll blame the weather. A guy sitting behind us was making small talk with an elderly Southern couple making their first visit to the Friendly Confines. "First time at Wrigley?" "Yup." "Alright! Popped your cherry! Nice going!" Popped your cherry? Wha?

I didn't see the game tonight, but with Halladay going against Mitre tomorrow can anyone say "s-w-e-e-p"? Nice to see you Irregular, hopefully we can do this again when the Cubs win a game. :)

Haven't been swept at home in a 3+ series since 2002. I like that stat...would suck if the streak is broken against the friggin Bluejays. Can the Cubs go back to California, please?

The Cubs WON'T get swept at home. They'll find a way to beat Halliday.

At this point with all the injuries still, this team is just not consistant enough to be able to sustain a long run of very good baseball. I am hoping the Cubs can stay above .500 until the All-Star break and then get Wood and Prior back and hopefully make a trade for a good OF bat. Then I think they can make a run in the 2nd half at the 88 wins I thought a healthy team could accomlish.

why do you all get your hopes up with this team - its doomed for failure - everytime they raise my hopes they fail. When you have an idiot like Patterson who'll swing at anything - how can you expect a successful season? I don't remember if this was last night or monday night but frankly - 2 outs and 2 men on base and ramirez comes to bat - what the hell is Ramirez doing taking a walk in an RBI situation and with that idiot patterson coming to bat after him. The second to last pitch to ramirez was completely hittable and he took it for strike. Patterson really will be a great player one day but is just too impatient on the plate right now.

anyone know what the cubs' record at home for night games? I'm guessing it's pretty dismal...

actually i'm pro Ramirez taking a walk in that situation. the key is to avoid making outs...it's not like the pitcher was coming up behind him. aramis shouldn't be faulted for having the patience that corey lacks.

When Ramirez walked, I turned to my wife and said, "we really could've used a hit there." Three doubles would've been sweet. But I agree, Tim, you can't fault Ramirez for NOT swinging at bad pitches (or, in this case, having a good eye.) He has to be able to rely on Corey to keep the inning alive. No one can fix Corey's issues except Corey. And they really need to keep him away from a microphone, because every time I've heard him interviewed in the past few weeks, he just keeps digging the hole deeper. His post-game comments last night were pointless and annoying.

I don't remember if this was last night or monday night but frankly - 2 outs and 2 men on base and ramirez comes to bat - what the hell is Ramirez doing taking a walk in an RBI situation and with that idiot patterson coming to bat after him. The second to last pitch to ramirez was completely hittable and he took it for strike. Patterson really will be a great player one day but is just too impatient on the plate right now. So let me get this right: Ramirez AB bad because he was too patient, Patterson AB bad because he is too impatient?

Game thoughts: What happened to Corey Patterson the Gold Glover...He has been misreading and misplaying balls all year. Bash Hollandsworth all you want, but he got guys home from 3 twice with one out. Not that he should be praised for this, but it should be acknowledged. we gave up 3 runs that good defenses would not have given up, Derek Lee, Perez, The pitcher who did not cover first on Lee's misplay (I believe it was Will Ohman), and Patterson. All were responsible.

I am a big Jason Dubois supporter but check out our starting outfield hitting numbers... Burnitz - .260 BA, .311 OBA, .444 SLG, .755 OPS, 8 HR, 34 RBI Patterson - .266 BA, .301 OBA, .436 SLG, .737 OPS, 10 HR, 20 RBI Dubois - .264 BA, .316 OBA, .500 SLG, .816 OPS, 5 HR, 20 RBI Those OBP and BA are sickening. It would be nice if 1 of those guys was in that range but not all 3. Burnitz is realizing why no one wanted to sign him this past off-season. He can't hit away from Coors just like previous poor hitters. The sad thing is Jason Dubois is out performing them both compared to the number of AB's he has had, yet this is what has replaced him the last few games.... Holly - .220 BA, .295 OBP, 1 HR, 12 RBI, .305 slg, .601 OPS. Bottom line is it doesnt matter whether Holly or Dubois starts. The entire outfield just plain sucks at hitting and getting on base. This should be the #1 priority in fixing. Burnitz is a bum, Patterson has shown no improvement, Dubois is as crunch would say "raw", and Holly has never been good. Ever. The entire OF needs to be shaken up.

Double your pleasure- Holly and Dubois in line up today.

MIKEC- I am ducking underneath my desk as I write this, but I agree 100%. They need to go out and get 1 or 2 bats in the OF. The IF is fine. Starting pitching will be fine, especially with Prior and wood coming back and Willimas pitching better in AAA. Bullpen is still inconsistant, but improving as they have had less strain on them with the starters pitching so well the last 3 weeks or so. I don't know who truly is availible to get for the OF (Huff?, Floyd?, etc.), but something needs to be done for thisteam to get over the hump and truly into the WC race.

it's weird, without looking at the numbers it feels like Burnitz has done his job above expectations...but the numbers show otherwise. Yeah, the Outfield was my big worry before the season, and is now....but who do you get rid of at this point to aquire a big hitting outfielder? Are any of our non-essentials worth much to other teams at this point? meanwhile, we are still 12-5 in our last 17 games...hopefully these last two games are just a bump in the road. We got our work cut out for us today, but it's a huge game...we need to cut our losses here.

First and foremost Aramis needs to swing the fucking bat in that situation. Tim writes, "the key is to avoid making outs". Who do you think you are Billy Beane? No the key is to make runs. You guys don't know the difference between a good walk and a bad walk. Aram walked cause the pitcher didn't want to pitch to him. He wanted to pitch to Patterson. So we gave him what he wanted and we didn't score because of it. I love Aram and I hope he stays a Cub for many successful years but he needs to swing at that 3 - 0 pitch. It was a meatball right down the middle. You see, conventional baseball wisdom dictates that on 3 - 0 or 3 - 1 you can be picky. If you see a pitch you like, rip it. The thing about Aram is that he doesn't swing 3 - 0. They flashed that stat right before the 3 ball pitch. Sometimes you need to swing at a 3 - 0 pitch. Hell! Swing and miss on purpose. Make the pitcher throw another one. And, what I'm talking about is situational as I am not advocating this for every at bat. Next, rip Burnitz all you want but he's on pace for 90 - 100 RBIs. I don't care what his average is. If he gets 95 RBIs, that will be plenty.

Chad -- are you aware that on most 3-0 pitches, the batter has the red light from the manager? It's rare to get a 3-0 green light. (Lee got a green light yesterday, which was a no-brainer given how hot he is, although he grounded out meekly). My point is that Ramirez didn't swing at the 3-0 pitch because it wasn't his choice to make.

OK, fine. Maybe he had a red light. Then, that's bad managing. You don't take the stick out of one of your best hitters hands to pass it on to a lesser hitter. If I was a manager, my 3, 4 and 5 guys would have carte blanche (most of the time) to swing away on a hitter's count.

I agree Chad. I was reading somewhere that when batters put balls in play; BA on hits on pitches that are either 0 strike or 1 strike is always better than league average. Hitting at 2 strike pitches is always below league average. This makes instinstive sense as the pitcher is trying to throw strikes when he is behind and trying to get the batter to swing at pitches that are borderline when he is ahead. So a good hitter who can mash should look for a good ball to hit and hit it hard in a 3-0 count.( Unless the pitcher is unintentionally-intentionally walking you.) That pitch that ARam took for a strike yesterday was eminently swingworthy. The problem I have with batters who swing at first pitches is that they seem to be swinging at balls that they have no chance of putting a charge on even if they make solid contact. That and swinging at the first pitch they see from a reliever.

Here is the lineup: NEifi Cpat Lee ARAM Walker Dubois Holly Barrett Mitre

it's weird, without looking at the numbers it feels like Burnitz has done his job above expectations...but the numbers show otherwise. Burnitz was hired to replace Sammy Solo in RF and drive in runs. He's doing a fine job on both accounts. His 34 RBIs rank him 19th in the NL ahead of Carlos Beltran, Moises Alou, Adam Dunn and over in the AL, Sammy Soso. Burnitz is on a pace to drive in ~100 runs this year.

I realize I'm being picky but if I were Ramirez I would realize i have an idiot who swings for the fences everytime after me and just try to get a single. Ramirez's mistake is obviously very minor compared to jack ass stupidity of patterson who just refuses to take a pitch. As Stoney says, I'm not second guessing -I'm first guessing - my stomach sunk when I saw him get the walk. >So let me get this right: Ramirez AB bad because >he was too patient, Patterson AB bad because he >is too impatient?

Next, rip Burnitz all you want but he's on pace for 90 - 100 RBIs. I don't care what his average is. If he gets 95 RBIs, that will be plenty. So then would you say the same about rookie Jason Dubois? Expanded out to a full season of at bats, he'd be on pace for more than 100 RBI, despite usually batting lower in the lineup. But to the overall point, I agree, if Jason Dubois is our best hitting outfielder, we've got problems.

Way to mention the no-no, ya dope. I blame the infield hit on you.

Awesome. The instant I turn on Gamecast, the Blue Jays get their first hit.

mlb.com's game tracker is reporting an injury delay. let me go ahead and guess: Derrick Lee suffered spontaneous combustion? Given our luck so far this year, I wouldn't be too surprised.

..or Zambrano fell and twisted his ankle walking down to the clubhouse

so all kidding aside who got injured? a big kudos to mitre. he's pitching like a bat out of hell today.

I was ravagely checking the lineups on GameCast and there were no replacements for the Cubs. Don't know if thats a delay thing or not..

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    SF snags b.snell...2/62m

  • Cubster (view)

    AZ Phil: THAT is an awesome report worth multiple thanks. I’m sure it will be worth reposting in an “I told you so” in about 2-3 years.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    The actual deadline to select a post-2023 Article XX-B MLB free agent signed to 2024 minor league contract (Cooper, Edwards, and Peralta) to the MLB 40-man roster is not MLB Opening Day, it is 12 PM (Eastern) this coming Sunday (3/24). 

    However, the Cubs could notify the player prior to the deadline that the player is not going to get added to the 40 on Sunday, which would allow the player to opt out early. Otherwise the player can opt out anytime after the Sunday deadline (if he was not added to the 40 by that time). 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Today is an off day for both the Cubs MLB players and the Cubs minor league players.  

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    For those of you keeping track, so far nine players have been called up to Mesa from the Cubs Dominican Academy for Minor League Camp and they will be playing in the ACL in 2024: 

    * bats or throws left 

    Angel Cepeda, INF 
    * Miguel Cruz, P
    Yidel Diaz, C 
    * Albert Gutierrez, 1B
    Fraiman Marte, P  
    Francis Reynoso, P (ex-1B) 
    Derniche Valdez, INF 
    Edward Vargas, OF 
    Jeral Vizcaino, P 

    And once again, despite what you might read at Baseball Reference and at milb.com, Albert Gutierrez is absolutely positively a left-handed hitter (only), NOT a right-handed hitter.

    Probably not too surprisingly, D. Valdez was the Cubs #1 prospect in the DSL last season, Cepeda was the DSL Cubs best all-around SS prospect not named Derniche Valdez, Gutierrez was the DSL Cubs top power hitting prospect not named Derniche Valdez, E. Vargas was the DSL Cubs top outfield prospect (and Cepeda and E. Vargas were also the DSL Cubs top two hitting prospects), Y. Diaz was the DSL Cubs top catching prospect, and M. Cruz was the DSL Cubs top pitching prospect. 

    F. Marte (ex-STL) and J. Vizcaino (ex-MIL) are older pitchers (both are 22) who were signed by the Cubs after being released by other organizations and then had really good years working out of the bullpen for the Cubs in the DSL last season. 

    The elephant in the room is 21-year old Francis Reynoso, a big dude (6'5) who was a position player (1B) at the Cardinals Dominican Academy for a couple of years, then was released by STL in 2022, and then signed by the Cubs and converted to a RHP at the Cubs Dominican Academy (and he projects as a high-velo "high-leverage" RP in the states). He had a monster year for the DSL Cubs last season (his first year as a pitcher). 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    DJL: The only players who definitely have opt outs are Cooper, Edwards, and Peralta (Opening Day, 5/1, and 6/1), and that's because they are post-2023 Article XX-B MLB free agents who signed 2024 minor league contracts and (by rule) they get those opt outs automatically. 

    Otherwise, any player signed to a 2024 minor league contract - MIGHT or - MIGHT NOT - have an opt out in their contract, but it is an individual thing, and if there are contractual opt outs the opt out(s) might not necessarily be Opening Day. It could be 5/1, or 6/1, or 7/1 (TBD).

    Because of their extensive pro experience, the players who most-likely have contractual opt outs are Alfaro, Escobar, and D. Smith, but (again), not necessarily Opening Day. 

    Also, just because a player has the right to opt out doesn't mean he will. 

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    I love the idea that Madrigal heads to Iowa in case Morel can’t handle third.

    The one point that intrigues me here is Cooper over Smith. I feel like the Cubs really like Smith and don’t want to lose him. Could be wrong. He def seems like an opt out if he misses the opening day roster

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Childersb3: Both Madrigal and Wisdom can be optioned without any restriction. Their consent is not required. 

    They both can be outrighted without restriction, too (presuming the player is not claimed off waivers), but if outrighted they can choose to elect free agency (immediately, or deferred until after the end of the MLB season).

    If the player is outrighted and elects free-agency immediately he forfeits what remains of his salary.

    If he accepts the assignment and defers free agency until after the conclusion of the season, he continues to get his salary, and he could be added back to the 40 anytime prior to becoming a free-agent (club option). 

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Phil, 
    Madrigal and Wisdom can or cannot refuse being optioned to the Minors?
    If they can refuse it, wouldn't they elect to leave the Cubs org?

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    In my opinion, the biggest "affirmative" mistake the Cubs made in the off-season (that is, doing something they should not have done), was blowing $9M in 2024 AAV on Hector Neris. What the Cubs actually need is an alternate closer to be in the pen and available to close if Alzolay pitched the day before (David Robertson would have been perfect), because with his forearm issue last September, I would be VERY wary of over-using Alzolay. I'm not even sure I would pitch him two days in a row!  

    And of course what the Cubs REALLY need is a second TOR SP to pair with Justin Steele. That's where the Cubs are going to need to be willing to package prospects (like the Padres did to acquire Dylan Cease, the Orioles did to acquire Corbin Burnes, and the Dodgers did to acquire Tyler Glasnow). Obviously those ships have sailed, but I would say right now the Cubs need to look very hard at trying to acquire LHSP Jesus Luzardo from the Marlins (and maybe LHP A. J. Puk as well).