Cubs MLB Roster

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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

We Almost Got Wood

Submitted by Christian Ruzich on
Mike Kiley reports in the Sun-Times that Kerry Wood is scheduled to pitch a simulated game tomorrow at Fitch Park in Mesa, and probably another next Thursday. If all goes well, that would put Woody's first minor league rehab start on April 25th, keeping him on the same pitching schedule as the temp #5 starter. If he stays on that schedule (pitching the same days as the temp 5th starter), and depending on how many rehab starts he needs to make (probably at least two, those being the April 25th and April 30th Iowa Cubs home games in Des Moines), Wood could return to the Cubs starting rotation on Friday night May 5th at SD, or certainly no later than Wednesday night May 10th at SF (again, if all goes well and there are no setbacks). It is possible (but not real likely) that he could make just one rehab start (April 25th at Des Moines) and return to the Cubs rotation at Wrigley Field on Sunday April 30th versus MIL. There is no specific schedule suggested for the return of Mark Prior or Wade Miller at this point. As far as the current 3-4-5 starters are concerned, all three (Sean Marshall, Jerome Williams, and Glendon Rusch) are scheduled to pitch the three games this weekend in Pittsburgh. Pitching tonight, Marshall is the only one of the three who could start next Wednesday night in LA, but don't forget that Angel Guzman is "shadowing" Marshall at Iowa, pitching on the exact same schedule. So if Marshall gets blasted tonight, Guzman could be recalled to replace Marshall in the starting rotation as early as next Wednesday in LA. And between Williams and Rusch, whichever one pitches best this weekend will probably get the start next Friday night in STL, with the other skipped until a 5th starter is needed on April 25th. That 5th starter slot (needed permanently beginning on April 25th) is the one Kerry Wood would slip into, either on April 30th, May 5th, or May 10th (depending on how the rehab goes).

Comments

Submitted by Ryno on Fri, 04/14/2006 - 04:20 am

Thank God there are only 23 games in Cubbie April. April: 23, May: 29, June: 27, July: 26, August: 28, September: 28, October: 12 :)~

Submitted by Ryno on Fri, 04/14/2006 - 04:36 am

Interesting stats: Carlos Zambrano leads the NL in walks (12), tied with Oliver Perez. Z also leads the NL in number of pitches thrown, 319 over 3 games. Z also leads the league in strikeouts (18). Glendon Rusch leads the NL in HRs given up (6), tied with Livan Hernandez. Zambrano's (0-1, 4.86, 16.2 IP, 9 ER, 12 BB, 18 K) fastball tops out about 97. Maddux's (2-0, 1.46, 12.1 IP, 2 ER, 4 BB, 8 K) fastball tops out about 86.

Submitted by ET on Fri, 04/14/2006 - 04:59 am

Any change we will see Guzman replacing Rusch soon? How many more times will Dusty allow him to get lit up? I'd rather take my chances with Guzman over Rusch at this point.

Submitted by ET on Fri, 04/14/2006 - 04:00 am

That's supposed to be "chance" not "change". Duh!

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Fri, 04/14/2006 - 04:13 am

#3 of 4: By ET (April 14, 2006 11:59 AM) Any chance we will see Guzman replacing Rusch soon? How many more times will Dusty allow him to get lit up? I'd rather take my chances with Guzman over Rusch at this point. --- ET: Although he is "shadowing" Sean Marshall and is in a perfect position to replace Marshall in the rotation as early as next Wednesday (if necessary), Angel Guzman could be recalled and start in STL next Friday night, or could replace any of the three (Marshall, Williams, or Rusch) the following week (Monday or Tuesday) versus FLA.

Submitted by Phil on Fri, 04/14/2006 - 04:28 am

From yesterday's Rob Neyer chat: Mike (Everett, MA): Which blunder in your book will people find the most surprising or at the very least will disagree with? Rob Neyer: Well, one of my co-authors makes a pretty convincing case that the Cubs shouldn't have hired Dusty Baker. You think anybody will disagree with that? and then.... Neifi Perez (Chicago, IL): I think Cubs made a fantastic decision when they hired Dusty Baker. okay fess up, has to be a TCR person...

Submitted by Bogey on Fri, 04/14/2006 - 04:47 am

Supposedly Aramis will be back sometime this weekend and Jacque won't return until the LAD series.

Submitted by cubsnerd on Fri, 04/14/2006 - 04:47 am

Sounds like Hendry is seriously considering bringing Guzman up. From Peter Gammons's journal: Angel Guzman, 23, once a prize in the class of a Zambrano, made a significant comeback this spring. "His velocity was back up to 95-96," Rothschild says. As he pitches at Iowa, Guzman will be closely monitored for his command, especially of his breaking ball. When asked if Guzman could help by midseason, Hendry laughed and said, "It could be by the end of this month."

Submitted by cubsbaseball on Fri, 04/14/2006 - 04:11 pm

I would bring up Guzman and send down Williams, or bring up Guzman and send down Ohman, move Rusch to the bullpen, and the rotation would be, Zambrano, Maddux, Marshall, Guzman, & Williams. Rusch has not pitched well, and if Marshall can turn in a good performance on his next start I think that Rusch belongs in the pen.

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Fri, 04/14/2006 - 04:30 pm

#10 of 10: By cubsbaseball (April 14, 2006 01:11 PM) I would bring up Guzman and send down Williams, or bring up Guzman and send down Ohman, move Rusch to the bullpen, and the rotation would be, Zambrano, Maddux, Marshall, Guzman, & Williams. Rusch has not pitched well, and if Marshall can turn in a good performance on his next start I think that Rusch belongs in the pen. CUBS BASEBALL: While you're following tonight's Cubs game in Pittsburgh, keep an eye on Iowa's game at Round Rock (Astros AAA club), where Angel Guzman gets the start.

Submitted by Southside Irish on Fri, 04/14/2006 - 04:40 pm

Phil- Do you really think the Cubs would call up Guzman before they did Hill? Is there any scenario that we would see a rotation with 2 rookies at once? ie: Hill Marshall or Guzman? In reality it can't get any worse than what we've seen lately...

Submitted by mannytrillo on Fri, 04/14/2006 - 04:01 pm

Cubsbaseball: "or bring up Guzman and send down Ohman, move Rusch to the bullpen," If I remember correctly, just last year even some people were complaining that Rusch was a much better option starting than coming out of the pen. But his numbers over the past 3 years don't bare that out: As Reliever - 3.80 ERA, 4-1, 90.0 IP, 1.61 WHIP As Starter - 5.05 ERA, 12-21, 308.1 IP, 1.49 WHIP The mistake here was resigning Rusch for 2 guarenteed years (let alone for $3 million per). I didn't have a problem bringing him back (for a 1 year deal ONLY), but don't promise him anything and get him cheap. Now, he might end up getting cut by the end of the year or we will have to dump him in a trade and eat most of his salary. He had 1 fluke year in 2004, where he resembled an actual pitcher. This guy's career numbers are 47-88 with a 4.90 ERA. 41 games UNDER .500!! And please don't give me some obscure stat saying he was unlucky with batting average of balls put in play or some crap. Rusch is not a good pitcher and with how deep people say our pitching staff is, it is amazing that he is still in the rotation. Hopefully Dusty only gives him one more egg to lay and then try someone else. If not, this is on Dusty for keeping him in there. Ohh, Woody, Prior, Miller.....PLEASE HURRY BACK!!!

Submitted by cublogger on Fri, 04/14/2006 - 04:01 pm

Irish, I completely agree, A. It can't get worse, and B.at least the young guys appear to be motivated and hungry. (the emotional kind, not the Rusch kind)

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Fri, 04/14/2006 - 04:18 pm

MANNY: Rusch's numbers as a reliever may be better than when he starts, but when Rusch comes into a game with the bases loaded and gives up a three-run double, the runs get charged to the previous pitcher and Rusch comes out "clean" (ERA -wise). I don't particularly like Rusch as a starter, but I like him even less as a reliever because he gives up too many baserunners at a point in a game (last three or four ininngs) when the margin for error is reduced and you can't afford to give up a three-spot. At least when he starts, even if he puts runners on base and gives up three or four runs, the Cubs still have time to come back. For instance, in his last start, he gave up four solo home runs (one in each of the first four innings) and left the game after five innings trailing 4-0, which was compounded and magnified by the Cubs doing absolutely nothing against Bronson Arroyo. If Rusch had come into that game in relief with runners on base and then gave up a HR, the damage would have been even worse. So with Rusch, you either start him and live with him giving up three or four runs every five or six innings, or trade him. The bullpen should NOT be an option.

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Fri, 04/14/2006 - 04:30 pm

#12 of 15: By Southside Irish (April 14, 2006 01:40 PM) Phil- Do you really think the Cubs would call up Guzman before they did Hill? Is there any scenario that we would see a rotation with 2 rookies at once? ie: Hill Marshall or Guzman? In reality it can't get any worse than what we've seen lately... ---- SOUTHSIDE IRISH: I believe Angel Guzman would get the call to start, then Rich Hill, then Jae-Kuk Ryu (in that order). And I believe David Aardsma is at the head of the line for "AAA reliever first-call," followed by Roberto Novoa. Both Ryu and Hill could work out of the bullpen, too, but I can't see using Marshall or Guzman as relievers. Both have the number of quality pitches needed to be a starter, so they should stay "stretched-out" either in Chicago (until Wood, Prior, and Miller return) or in Des Moines (where they would stay ready and available). The MLB experience Marshall is getting now and that Guzman might be getting pretty soon will come in handy later in the season if any of the "Big Five" go down. As for using two rookies in the starting rotation at the same time, it should be just until Wood, Prior, and Miller return to action.

Submitted by Hundred Year B… on Fri, 04/14/2006 - 04:58 pm

Glendon Rusch so far in 2006 has exemplified why guaranteed contracts are bad for MLB. He signs a fat deal and then shows up looking the part. He's completely ineffective. If this was the NFL he'd probably be at home already, if not in the next week or two. I'm nervous to stick him out there again, even against Pittsburgh. And if he gets shelled again, forget it. Bite the bullet. You can't just take a guaranteed L every five days if you see yourself competing this year. Maybe Hendry will figure out a way to turn him into Derrick Turnbow.

Submitted by Ryno on Fri, 04/14/2006 - 04:08 pm

Dusty should give him a "quota" and as soon as he reaches that quota he's pulled from the game. With the '06 bullpen, who cares. Say 2 runs, after that he's done. I hope when I go see the Cubs-Brews game on the 30th its not Rusch-Williams-Wuertz Day. :(

Submitted by Brick on Fri, 04/14/2006 - 04:09 pm

And I believe David Aardsma is at the head of the line... With that name, he's probably used to it.

Submitted by Newport/Racine on Fri, 04/14/2006 - 04:22 pm

Rob G. You guys act like Glendon wasn't fat before this year. At least with his extremely small salary there's little reservations to move him to the bullpen or that it would be all that hard to trade him. It's still only 2 starts in April, should we be calling for Z's head as well right now, cause his 2 starts versus the Reds were just as bad.... No, Z has proven himself as a good pitcher in the past(all-star, cy young candidate). Rusch just plain sucks, this year, last year, and every year before. As someone else said above, his career record is 41 games UNDER .500, and that is not worth more than the league minimum. I say release him and eat his salary, or let him eat it. We don't really need another lefty in the pen, do we? He is worthless to this team, and the longer he is here, the longer Dusty can use him. Somebody start www.FireRusch.com

Submitted by DANCING MIKE DITKA on Fri, 04/14/2006 - 04:22 pm

Aardsma, must have been in the front row in home room back in high school.

Submitted by cubswinthepennant on Fri, 04/14/2006 - 04:30 pm

Rusch is 15-12 as a Cub. Including his 2003 record with Milwaukee is misleading. In my humblest opinion, What's wrong with Rusch this year is he did nothing to prepare in the off season, showed up completely out of shape mentally and physically, and it shows. The guy I saw pitch masterfully in San Diego the day Sammy Sosa was scratched in 2004 (Hollandsworth to RF, Macias to LF) is not this guy. Up until then, as a relief pitcher, he had been horrendous. He pitched 5.2 and gave up 1 ER that day. Cubs won 4-2. He went 8.2 against StLouis in his next, 1 ER. And 7.2 after that with 2 ER versus Pittsburgh. By mid-July when he was taken out of the rotation, he was 5-1 and had cut his ERA in half.

Submitted by shawndgoldman on Fri, 04/14/2006 - 04:33 pm

AZ Phil, How do you think the Cubs will handle the "starter crunch" that occurs once Wood, Prior, and Miller are all healthy? I imagine Williams will be sent to AAA and Rusch will be the long arm out of the pen... However, what happens if Marshall (or Guzman) pitches well at the MLB level? Do you think the Cubs would consider moving Miller (or Wood, for that matter) to the pen in favor of keeping a hot rookie in the rotation? Assuming the Cubs go to a 12-man staff once their off-days are fewer have starters recovering from injuries, the Cubs would have... Rotation: Zambrano Prior Wood Maddux Guzman/Marshall Pen: Dempster Howry Eyre Williamson Wuertz Miller Rusch

Submitted by Ryno on Fri, 04/14/2006 - 04:04 pm

shawndgoldman: once Wood, Prior, and Miller are all healthy? Whaaaa??

Submitted by shawndgoldman on Fri, 04/14/2006 - 04:22 pm

OK, so consider it a hypothetical situation. If Wood, Prior, and Miller were all healthy and Guzman or Marshall was pitching well, what would happen?

Submitted by Rob G. on Fri, 04/14/2006 - 04:31 pm

Guzman/Marhsall/Hill/Williams all have options, do the math.... Miller was signed to start and honestly all the kids have plenty to work on in the minors in my opinion. By end of May, if the stars align and no one is hurt I'd expect: Z Wood Prior Miller Maddux Bullpen Rusch Wuertz Ohman Williamson Howry Eyre Dempster But someone always gets hurt. My question is who off the bench gets bumped when they go to 12 pitchers? Pagan is the only w options left. I guess if Cedeno or Murton are really struggling or a trade happens.

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Fri, 04/14/2006 - 04:49 pm

#24 of 27: By shawndgoldman (April 14, 2006 03:33 PM) AZ Phil, How do you think the Cubs will handle the "starter crunch" that occurs once Wood, Prior, and Miller are all healthy? I imagine Williams will be sent to AAA and Rusch will be the long arm out of the pen... However, what happens if Marshall (or Guzman) pitches well at the MLB level? Do you think the Cubs would consider moving Miller (or Wood, for that matter) to the pen in favor of keeping a hot rookie in the rotation? - SHAWN: IF (and that's BIG if) Wood, Prior, and Miller (and Maddux and Zambrano) are all healthy at the same time and all three are functioning as effective starting pitchers, if the planets line up like that at some point this season, then Rusch goes to the bullpen, Williams goes to AAA, and even if Marshall and/or Guzman are pitching well, they also will probably be sent down to Iowa, too, and await their next opportunity (which might not come until 2007). Personally, I like the idea of using Kerry Wood out of the bullpen, because I believe he could be just as successful a closer as John Smoltz was. Throwing just one inning per appearance and having to focus on just that one inning would be a good fit for Kerry Wood. But I don't think the Cubs would put Wood in the pen unless it became absolutely necessary due to Woody being unable to handle the rigors of starting every 5th day and throwing 100+ pitches per outing.

Submitted by shawndgoldman on Fri, 04/14/2006 - 04:45 pm

Has anyone ever considered putting Miller in as a closer? This would follow the same line of thought that has led many to suggest Wood would thrive there. I'm not necessarily suggesting this course of action, but i've never considered it before... Any thoughts?

Submitted by mannytrillo on Fri, 04/14/2006 - 04:48 pm

Rob G.: "It's still only 2 starts in April, should we be calling for Z's head as well right now, cause his 2 starts versus the Reds were just as bad...." Have you looked at Rusch's career number versus Zambrano's??? You are comparing apples and oranges. I have a hunch, Zamrano will turn things around much better than Rusch will. Rusch has been pretty much HORRIBLE in his career. 41 games under .500 and almost a 5.00 ERA. Come on. It is amazing this guy is the #2/#3 starter on a $100 million payroll team. This guy should be making $1 million a year pitching for TB, KC or FL.

Submitted by Ienpw on Fri, 04/14/2006 - 04:50 pm

Guzman was not too good tonight, even though 2 of the runs scored off him came after he was removed. Although he did have nice Ks and did well at the beginning before falling apart late.

Recent comments

  • 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? 

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Pro teams have to play their "big money" guys if they are healthy and not "locker room" issues.
    The Cubs wanted to deal JHey off well before they bought him out. They just didn't want to pay him to play for someone else for that long. Jed did give him 20+mil to play for LAD last yr.
    Jed might also let Kyle walk at some point this year. Similar scenario to JHey, except Jed thought Kyle was going to be good/solid in '24!!
    You'd think Smyly is in the same book as well. Same with Neris (he's a 1yr vet RP, so he's not really in this convo too much).
    That's ~35mil between those three and those three are going to get opportunities until at least late June) over younger guys even if their performance is "iffy".
    But, Jed is going to play Taillon a lot. They have to try and justify that contract and hope a veteran works out.
    So, Taillon, Imanaga, and Hendricks are locks for the rest of April and probably May.
    Assad, Brown and Wicks handle the last spots until Steele is ready.
    Now, you're question has real merit when Steele comes back. That will interesting if Brown is still good and Hendricks is still bad. But Taillon is entirely safe as long as he's healthy.

    And the bullpen moves were "money" based as well. Smyly has actually been okay. But he hasn't been clearly better than Little. Little had one bad outing. But Smyly makes 9mil. If they needed another RHRP and one of Little and Smyly had to go, it was going to Little. But that doesn't mean Smyly is one of the best 13 arms for the team. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Childersb3: I think there was an issue with Luke Little coming into a game with men on base. He seems to need a "clean" inning to be dominant. So he is a future closer and needs to be used in that role at AAA. Same goes for Michael Arias. He needs to come into a "clean" inning, and is a future closer and needs to be used in that role at AA. Porter Hodge is a more versatile pitcher, a better version of Keegan Thompson (multi-inning RP). But Little, Arias, and Hodge (probably in that order) are the Cubs top three RP prospects (all three are Cubs Top 15 prospects).

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    So, let’s do a little war gaming. Taillon is back for tonight’s game. He pitched two rehab games, just a few innings each, and not especially sharp. Let’s face it, he hasn’t been lights out since the Cubs gave him the big contract. In other words, as flat out bad as Hendricks has been, the chances of Taillon being the savior don’t look exactly promising.

    If Taillon is equally ineffective or perhaps even worse, what’s the next move? Winning teams can often find a way to work around a dud fifth starter - kinda. Two dud starters make things much more difficult.

    I believe the biggest reason for the recent bullpen moves was dissatisfaction with the recent blowing of big leads and the recognition that the bullpen wasn’t all it was thought to be. In other words, they are exploring alternate options and configurations. If similar juggling becomes necessary (even more so than it already is), what kind of reasonable maneuvering do we think could be explored?

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Cubdom needs to prepare themselves for Wicks to be sent to Iowa for Taillon to come up.
    Ben Brown has 4 appearances. Wicks has 4 appearances.
    Ben has 16.1 IP.  Wicks has 17 IP
    Ben was a 1.1 WHIP.  Wicks has a 1.7 WHIP. Wicks does have significantly more SOs. 
    Ben has been better, though.
    I love Wicks. I think he's a fighter and his stuff has improved.
    But, Jed isn't ditching Hendricks just yet. He should. But he won't.
    Hendricks should go to the IL and Taillon-Imanaga-Assad-Wicks-Brown should be the rotation.
    Wont' happen though.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    AZ Phil,
    Did you agree with the demotion of Luke Little? He'd been pretty good up until the AZ/wild pitch appearance. I know that can't jettison Smyly (just yet) so they didn't need another LHRP. Especially with Leiter effectively being a LHRP. I still thought he deserved to stay. It's not permanent. He'll be back. Lots of moves to come with Taillon, Steele and other guys coming and going.

    Also, do you see Hodge being able to "control/command" his stuff to get a chance this year?
    Is Arias better than Hodge?   Thanks

  • crunch (view)

    just waiting to hear patrick wisdom and masterboney are spotted at the airport going in opposite directions...

    aj puk going for the marlins (lefty)...gotta imagine we'll see wisdom in the lineup.

    someone has to make room for taillon, too.

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