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

Rich Hill Sharp in Final Spring Training Outing

While the rest of his teammates spent the weekend in Las Vegas before heading back to Chicago for Opening Day, Rich Hill remained in Arizona and made his final Spring Training tune-up start versus the Angels' Salt Lake AAA club at the Diablo Park minor league complex in Tempe this morning.

Hill struggled with his control a bit in the 1st and 3rd innings (he walked a batter to load the bases in the bottom of the 3rd and then hit a batter to force-in a run), but he also retired the side in order in the 2nd, 4th, and 5th innings, including the last eight men he faced.

With a mandate from Larry Rothschild to throw between 80 and 90 pitches, Hill ended up throwing exactly 80 pitches (22-14-23-10-11 in innings 1-2-3-4-5, including 50 strikes and 30 balls).

In his five innings of work, the left-hander allowed one run (earned) on three hits, with two walks, four strikeouts, and a HBP, with a 6/5 GB/FB. 

As for the game itself, the Iowa Cubs, playing their final Spring Training game before heading back east, defeated the Salt Lake Bees 6-3, as Micah Hoffpauir crushed a two-run tie-breaking HR over the right-centerfield fence to give the Cubs a lead they never relinquished.

Facing Angels top pitching prospect Nick Adenhart and four relievers, the I-Cubs banged-out 14 hits, as Hoffpauir went 2-5 with the two-run homer and two runs scored, Casey McGehee went 3-4 with a walk and three RBI on two doubles and a single, Jake Fox went 4-5 (all four singles) with two runs scored, 2B Eric Patterson went 2-4 with a walk, and RF Josh Kroeger went 3-5 with an RBI triple and a run scored.

On the negative side, CF Andres Torres went 0-5 with three K, SS Andres Blanco went 0-4 with two K and a GIDP, and catcher Koyie Hill went 0-3 with a K.  

The I-Cubs three lefty relievers followed Hill to the mound, with mixed results. While Neal Cotts and Geoff Jones each struck out the side in their one inning of work (and Cotts was especially impressive), Les Walrond gave up two runs on three hits, a walk, and HBP in his two innings, with the  second inning being the really bad one, after he had retired the side 1-2-3 in his first inning of work.

With Rich Hill having bumped him out of his scheduled start in the AAA game, LHP J. R. Mathes got the start for AA Tennessee on an adjacent field and had a solid outing, although I do not have the exact numbers since I was mainly watching Rich Hill and the I-Cubs. 

With Hill getting his final Spring Training start today, he appears to be on a schedule to start the fifth game of the season next Saturday afternoon versus the Houston Astros at Wrigley Field.

Here is Rich Hill's abridged game log from today's game:

1st inning:
single
walk
K (looking)
F-8
P-6

2nd inning:
K (swinging)
K (swinging)
1-3

3rd inning:
5-3
single (then stolen base)
single (runner on 2nd advances to 3rd)
walk
HBP (forcing in a run)
P-4
L-3

4th inning
F-8
K (swinging)
6-3

5th inning:
4-3
P-4
4-3

Comments

with news that Murton and Marshall are sent down, via Rotoworld.

I am relieved Lou came to his senses. I would rather have Piggy than Eyre now, anyway. Thanks for the update, AZ PHIL. For those of you who can grab today's NY Times, there is a special "Baseball 2008" pull-out. Page three is a full page piece on the Cubs: POISON IN THE IVY: As Jinx Turns 100, The Friendly Confines Are Getting Feisty. It is a terrific read. Several mentions of the Zell saga, including something I did not know, being that Zell "...actually dislikes baseball. He never would have bought the Cubs if they didn't come with the Tribune. Its just another asset..." Jerry Reinsdorf

Submitted by Hagsag on Sun, 03/30/2008 - 1:40pm.

Az. Phil, will Eric Patterson swing between 2b and the Of, or are the Cubs going to return him to 2b only?

Also, have the final minor lge rosters been finalized?

========================

HAGSAG: Eric Patterson played 2B today, but I would think he will also play OF.

The minor league rosters have been nearly finalized, but there may be some additional moves made prior to minor league opening day at the end of the week.

The Cubs minor league rosters I listed here at TCR a couple of days ago are fairly close to final. The only difference for Iowa is that Tony Richie and Sam Fuld are injured and may start the season on the DL, and I have no idea where Carlos Rojas went, but he's nowhere to be seen. He may have gotten released.

Ryan O'Malley defintely got released (Iowa is going with Cotts, Walrond, and Jones as the lefties in their pen), and Matt Avery was with the AA squad today at Tempe, so he likely was demoted from Iowa to Tennessee. Also, Chris Shaver (who had shoulder surgery last June) appears "good to go" as one of the three lefties in the Tennessee bullpen (the others being Edward Campusano and Darin Downs).

And Justin Berg worked out of the Tennessee bullpen again today (he might end up being the closer at AA), so apparently it will be Jeff Samardzija, Donald Veal, Mitch Atkins, Tanner Watson, and either Gregory Reinhard or Jesse Estrada as the starters at AA, and Sean Marshall, Sean Gallagher, Mark Holliman, J. R. Mathes, and either Juan Mateo or Cory Bailey the starters at AAA Iowa.

All of this is subject to change, of course.

For all of you Iowa Cubs fans, this was the I-Cubs starting lineup today:

1. Eric Patterson, 2B
2. Andres Torres, CF
3. Micah Hoffpauir, 1B
4. Jake Fox, LF
5. Josh Kroeger, RF
6. Casey McGehee, 3B
7. Koyie Hill, C
8. Andres Blanco, SS
9. Rich Hill, P

BENCH:
J. D. Closser, C
Luis Figueroa, INF
Bobby Scales, IF-OF

ABSENT (injured):
Sam Fuld, OF
Tony Richie, C

WHEREABOUTS UNKNOWN (to me):
Carlos Rojas, INF (may have been released)

mike piazza, jeff weaver, freddy garcia, preston wilson, kenny lofton...cirillo, alfonseca, bonds, sosa...neifi f'n perez... not advocating signing a single one of these guys...just interesting names. some are injured, some are old, and some are a combo (like the unnamed d.miller). mike piazza goes out with a will clark-like whimper after a career of being a leader... someone will probably sign freddy garcia again unless he's just "done" in 09+...

I'm glad Hendry didn't just give Murton away for a bag of balls although I know it sucks for Murton. Still there should be a lot of prospect talent to pull off a needed trade before July 31st and if Soriano goes down, there's an immediate answer 2 hours away. AZ Phil, thanks for the reports........is Fuld, Ascanio going to start the season on the MLB DL or the AAA DL?

[ ]

In reply to by George Altman

murton deserves to play and is MLB ready...but it's either 4th OF'r or LF ready no matter the team. i'd be interested to see if he gets time at 1st while in AAA or at least fields a bit there in practice...that is if the cubs/murton still have a relationship beyond the next week+. his D is weak, his arm is average/below-average at best...he's got power to both fields, but no one's ready to call him a 30-homer guy (some question whether he's even a 20-homer guy). someone should want him and could find a place for him. hopefully hendry will hold out for something worth getting in return.

You know, the truth is, Zell really could have slammed the doors shut on spending for the team. True, he probably wouldn't be safe anywhere in Chicago if he did, but he could have. I actually feel a little better that's Zell's behavior is just because he doesn't like baseball. As for long range health of the franchise, I think Zell is a smaller issue than the fact that WGN doesn't carry as many games to a national audience as it once did. I'm more interested in the future of that partnership than anything Sam Zell does, especially considering Zell didn't end up putting the kbosh on spending.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

imo, so far zell's been a decent steward to cubs/cubs-fans so far it seems...unless anyone's upset about the possible selling of naming rights. given his reputation it seems the cubs are being well taken care of. of course, the cubs are only a small chunk of the tribune and putting an extra 5-10-20m into the team might be pocket change compared to the ticket price hike, the new seats, the possible improved value of a "winning" team, etc etc etc might be safe/sane management for someone looking to sell the team vs. the investment into it. it's a little hard to handicap all these variable from the outside looking in...

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

Bullshit, in my humble opinion. Zell is a suit; His interest is in making money. If keeping the Cub's roster stocked so the team is worth more makes good business sense, then that's what Zell will do.

[ ]

In reply to by Ryno

well yeah...that's what i was trying to say in the 3rd paragraph. no matter the motivation it seems the cubs have what they need to compete from a guy known for being the "guy in the middle who's a dickhead before he sells it off to the new saviors" doing all the stuff that needs to be done in businesses, but don't want the PR hit behind it for the new owners. he could have gone in a lot of directions with the cubs and given his track record i'll take this present outcome. that said, i say this being one of those people who could care less whether the place they play is Wrigley Field or Viagra Field.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

So... I hope the Cub's interests and Zell's interests continue to be the same. The sooner the club's sale is resolved, the better.

[ ]

In reply to by Ryno

f'real. im ready for the transfer into a true caretaker rather than a caretaker who's "doing good".

[ ]

In reply to by Ryno

The Cubs' interests and Zell's are not the same at all. Obviously, you're right, the sooner the better. My point original point was that it could have been a lot worse. I suspect Zell is a pretty good businessman, and that's why he let the salaries keep expanding. From a biz perspective, it wouldn't be a good idea to let the Cubs franchise die on the vine and become, say, the Florida Marlins. But believe it or not, not all rich guys are good business people. I doubt I'm enlightening you much there, just saying.

Ken Rosenthal on Murton: http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7969484/Rays-shock-many-by-demoting-… ========= it's a bit longer but here is an excerpt: The Cubs, knowing that Murton would get regular playing time with another club, want at least one quality prospect — preferably a pitcher in return. "I think they are going to hold him for a period of time," says one general manager who is interested in Murton. "The price is way too high as of now." The Padres and Rays are among the clubs pursuing Murton, but two or three other teams also have shown interest, major-league sources say. The Rays claimed outfielder Nathan Haynes off waivers from the Angels on Friday, but continue to explore potential upgrades. Scouts describe Murton as a "tweener" — an outfielder who lacks the defensive skill to play center and the power necessary for a corner. Braves left fielder Matt Diaz, a similar type, is approaching everyday status due to his .320 career batting average.

Ravech and Kruk pick the Cubs (over the Tigers and Indians, respectively) to win it. Eric Young picks the Red Sox (over the Braves) and Phillips picks the Tigers (over the Mets).

Gammons- Braves vs Indians Phillips- Tigers vs Mets Eric Young- Braves vs Red Sox Karl Ravech- Cubs vs Detroit Kruk- Cubs vs Indians. Ravech and Kruk have Cubs winning it all. Am I missing something on the Braves?

Braves @ Nats tonight but both teams travel to play again tomorrow? Pirates @ Braves and Nats @ Phils that's just dumb...

picks Lee as the MVP after picking the Cubs to win it all. We're sunk.

Is he good enough to trade Lee? And if he is, isn't now the time? I am sure the typical Cubs fan will say, "But Lee is a God." But I say, he seems a bit on the downside, and so I ask AZ how good Hoffpower really is. I saw Hoffpower do a nice pick with Marmol, so, ummm, I'm just asking the real expert.

Well, the new 'wonder' field drainage system gets its first test. I'm watching the live cams both outside and inside now. Thanks Carlosrubi.

[ ]

In reply to by Hobart Mike

It looks like the infield tarp is now sponsored by "Van Kampen Investments." Also looks like Sullivan, Kasper and Roan are filming some segment near the Cubs dugout. This camera is pretty cool. Thanks Carlos.

Are we going to have a thread with all our win projections or should we just post them whenever before Opening Day?

the weather.com radar you reference, joshb, is not encouraging as of this moment. It appears as if about near game time there is a solid system of heavy rain. I am glad CUBSTER is covered!

very nice touch having Hank Aaron there. anyone catch Crane Kenney's first mention of Aaron as "the man most Americans recognize as the home run leader" (before his 2nd Aaron introduction when he actually introduced him to speak) nice.

It's raining like Hell out here in the Western Suburbs. Things don't look that great to get much of this game in. I see there is a small window between two storm fronts on the radar, but I don't know how long it will last. It doesn't look very big.

Submitted by Hook on Sun, 03/30/2008 - 4:28pm.

Quick question:

Where does Chad Fox fall in all these roster moves. Is he just at extended spring training or does he also need to be carried on a team's disabled list?

===========================

HOOK: Unless he quits or gets released, Chad Fox will be assigned to the Pitchers Rehab Group at Fitch Park (EXST).

Because he signed a minor league contract, he does not need to be placed on the Cubs MLB DL.

Submitted by Raisin101 on Sun, 03/30/2008 - 11:46pm.

AZ Phil, Peoria's roster is out. I was wondering if you knew why Huseby didn't make the team? Is he hurt?

=======================

RAISIN: Arik Hempy (Daytona) and Chris Huseby (Peoria) were both left behind at Fitch Park when their clubs left town yesterday. Since EXST hasn't started yet, I can't tell you for sure whether they are injured or got demoted, although in Hempy's case he's almost certainly injured, because I doubt VERY much that he would have been demoted from the Daytona starting rotation to EXST at the end of ST.

In Huseby's case, he could be hurt or he could have been demoted to the Fitch Park Daytona-Peoria Replacement Cadre. He has the type of delivery that can get out of whack in a hurry.

There were several demotions involving pitchers at the very end of Minor League Camp: Matt Avery and Rocky Roquet were demoted from AAA Iowa to AA Tennessee, Darin Downs went from Tennessee to Daytona, Marcos Mateo (Juan's cousin) was demoted from Daytona to Peoria, and Alberto Alburquerque, Marcus Hatley, Scott Meyer, and Mark Pawelek were sent to EXST from Peoria. 

Recent comments

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    LHP Blake Weiman appears to have been the last cut from the AAA Iowa roster. He is with the Tennessee group at Minor League Camp.

     

  • crunch (view)

    bruce bochy is hobbling rather badly for a guy who's had 2 hip replacements.  his gait is extremely wonky taking the lineup card to the ump.

  • 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.