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, twelve players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors, one player is on the 15-DAY IL, and one player is on the 10-DAY IL

Last updated 4-18-2024
 
* 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
Jameson Taillon 
Keegan Thompson
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

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

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Cody Bellinger 
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

OPTIONED: 12 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Jose Cuas, P 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Luke Little, P 
* Miles Mastrobuoni, INF
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 
Hayden Wesneski, P 

10-DAY IL: 1 
Seiya Suzuki, OF

15-DAY IL: 
* Justin Steele, P   

60-DAY IL: 2 
Caleb Kilian, P 
Julian Merryweather, P
 




Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Angel Guzman Throws Simulated Game at Fitch Park

Submitted by Arizona Phil on

Marcus Hatley threw four shutout innings (thus becoming the first EXST Cubs pitcher to throw four), and George Matheus drove in two runs with a triple, scored the third run later that same inning, and made two outstanding defensive plays in the field, as the EXST Cubs defeated the EXST Giants 3-1 this morning at Fitch Park Field #3 in Mesa. 

Prior to the EXST game, Chicago Cubs RHP Angel Guzman (on the 60-day DL after undergoing TJ surgery last September) continued his rehab, throwing a two-inning "simulated game" on Field #2.

Facing six of the position players not in the EXST Cubs starting lineup (Brandon Guyer, Bryan Jost, Josh Vitters, John Contreras, Gian Guzman, and Dwayne Kemp), Gooz threw two innings, with 15 pitches each inning (30 pitches total). As far as I could tell, his velocity was good, but he was off with his control, throwing only about 50% of his pitches for strikes.

Barring any setbacks, Guzman should be on target for EXST game action sometime next week, with a 30-day (maximum) minor league rehab assignment to begin sometime after that. The Cubs will probably not want to send him out on the minor league rehab until August, though, so they can seemlessly recall him from the rehab and activate him from the DL when rosters expand on September 1st.    

Ex-catcher Jake Muyco (converted to pitcher a couple of weeks ago) and newly-arrived Venezuelan RHP Israel Camacaro were the "opposing" pitchers in the simulated game on Field #2, each throwing one inning (20 pitches each). Muyco was pumping his fastball over the plate for strike after strike, but (not unexpectedtly) he tended to bounce his breaking balls and left his off-speed pitches up in the strike zone a bit too much. 

In EXST roster news, the Cubs have decided to convert still another position player to pitcher. This week's victim is OF Luke Sommer, the Cubs 2007 30th round draft pick out of the University of San Francisco. Sommer does have experience as a pitcher, as he was a combination LHP-OF in high school before being converted to a full-time outfielder at USF.

Like fellow ex-outfielder Andres Quezada (who was converted to pitcher a few days ago), Sommer was probably a potential candidate for release at the end of Extended Spring Training, so having the chance to try his hand at pitching (again) is probably an attractive alternative to unemployment.  

Rehabbin' 2B-OF Jeffrey Rea (quad) and 1B Matt Craig (leg) played in today's EXST game, and Rea even played defensively at 2B (Craig was a DH). This would tend to indicate that barring any further medical setbacks, the two players should be moving out of Fitch Park within a few days (possibly as soon as early next week, but of course that's still TBD), with Craig rejoining AA Tennessee (where he is presently on the DL), and Rea likely to be assigned to Peoria (where he will probably be Ryne Sandberg's everyday 2B and #2 hitter).

Here is today's abridged EXST box score (Cubs players only):

LINEUP:
1. Cesar Salazar, CF: 1-4 (RBI, SB)
2a. Jeffrey Rea, 2B: 1-3 (2B)
2b. Gian Guzman, 2B: 1-1
3. Matt Craig DH #1: 0-4 (3 K)
4. Nelson Perez, RF: 1-4 (K)
5. Luis Bautista, 1B: 0-4
6. Drew Rundle, LF:  0-4 (2 K, GIDP)
7. Junior Lake, 3B: 0-3 (K)
8. Alvaro Sosa, C: 0-2 (R, BB, K)
9. Starlin Castro, DH #2: 1-2 (R, BB)
10. George Matheus, SS: 2-3 (3B, 2 RBI, R)

PITCHERS:
1. Kevin Kreier - 3.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K (5/0 GO/FO)
2. Marcus Hatley - 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HBP  (6/5 GO/FO)
3. Harol Tolentino - 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K (1/3 GO/FO)

ERRORS: None!

CATCHERS DEFENSE: Alvaro Sosa: 1-3 CS

WEATHER: Partly cloudly and not as hot as yesterday

ATTENDANCE: 10 (We tend to see significantly larger crowds on Fridays and Saturdays than we do on the other days of the week)

NOTE: The Cubs travel to the Peoria Sports Complex tomorrow for a game with Team China, as Jim Lefebvre's club continues to prepare for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.  (BTW, that's Peoria, Arizona, not Peoria, Illinois). What's significant about the Peoria Sports Complex is that, unlike the Papago Sports Complex where the EXST Cubs played the EXST A's yesterday, the Peoria Sports Complex is not the site of a former WWII POW camp.

Tags
Extended Spring Training
Jake Muyco
Josh Vitters
Luke Sommer
Jeffrey Rea
Matt Craig
Angel Guzman

Comments

Submitted by Q-Ball on Fri, 05/09/2008 - 05:56 pm

AZ Phil, thanks as always. Keep up the Angel updates, though lately you could say he has had a simulated career. I know he's not in AZ, but what are your notes on Jose Ascanio? He is pitching well at AAA, and I wonder if he is legit ML right-handed help. How often do those position-pitcher conversions work? I suppose you don't need many Carlos Marmols to keep trying, curious on success rate.

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Fri, 05/09/2008 - 05:25 pm

Submitted by Q-Ball on Fri, 05/09/2008 - 2:56pm.

 AZ Phil, thanks as always. Keep up the Angel updates, though lately you could say he has had a simulated career.

I know he's not in AZ, but what are your notes on Jose Ascanio? He is pitching well at AAA, and I wonder if he is legit ML right-handed help.

How often do those position-pitcher conversions work? I suppose you don't need many Carlos Marmols to keep trying, curious on success rate.

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

Q-BALL: Jose Ascanio is a definite MLB prospect. In fact, in the my projection for 2009 that I posted here a week or two ago, I had Ascanio replacing Howry as the Cubs 7th inning guy next year.

As for the success rate for converting position players into pitcher, I'd say maybe 33%.

Certainly ex-catcher Carlos Marmol is the "poster boy" for success in that endeavor.

And ex-catcher Randy Wells (selected by TOR in last December's Rule 5 Draft and then returned to Iowa last month) could very well be in the big leagues as a long-reliever next year, if not with the Cubs, then with somebody.

And 2006 16th round draft pick Blake Parker, who was a C-1B-3B and the clean-up hitter at EXST Cubs this time last year, is pitching VERY well at Peoria. (What's kind of funny about Parker's conversion is that the day before they switched him, he hit a game-winning grand slam at Fitch Park!).

Other Cubs who have been switched to pitcher with lesser success are ex-SS Adalberto Mendez (selected by FLA in the Minor League Phase of the 2007 Rule 5 Draft and currently pitching for the Marlins in "A" ball) and ex-3B Federico Baez (who pitched in the WBC for Team Puerto Rico in 2006 before blowing out his elbow at AAA Iowa last year).

Cubs minor leaguers who have not made the conversion successfully include ex-catcher Oscar Bernard (released), ex-SS Junniol Lami (back at the Cubs Dominican Academy after getting a trial with the AZL Cubs last year), ex-3B Brandon Taylor (blew out his elbow and got treleased), ex-OF Randy Brown (released), and ex-catcher Leonel Perez (blew out his elbow, now a coach with the Daytona Cubs).

The Cubs have also drafted and/or signed several "combination" amateur players in recent years, turning most of them into full-time pitchers after they signed pro contracts. Included in this group are Palomar JC OF-RHP Marcus Hatley (who pitched four shoutout innings for the EXST Cubs today), former St. Thomas Aquinas College SS-RHP John Muller (who is the closer for the EXST Cubs), and SS-RHP Ryan Acosta (the son of the the late Cubs pitching coach Oscar Acosta and currently a rotation starter for Peoria).

And RHP Tim Lahey, a Rule 5 pick who was with the Cubs in Spring Training 2008 (and who is now back with the Twins) is a converted catcher.

I'm sure I'm forgetting others.

Submitted by Raisin101 on Fri, 05/09/2008 - 05:46 pm

AZ Phil, what's the word on Israel Camacaro? Does he have any significant potential? Also, I know Kevin Kreier got an over-slot bonus in 2006 and looked horrid in the AZL last season. What's the reason for improvement and is there a chance he's progressed enough to head to Boise in the summer? Thanks as always.

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Fri, 05/09/2008 - 05:54 pm

Submitted by Raisin101 on Fri, 05/09/2008 - 3:46pm.

AZ Phil, what's the word on Israel Camacaro? Does he have any significant potential?

Also, I know Kevin Kreier got an over-slot bonus in 2006 and looked horrid in the AZL last season. What's the reason for improvement and is there a chance he's progressed enough to head to Boise in the summer?

Thanks as always.

 =============================

RAISIN: I don't know much about Camacaro, other than that the Cubs just signed him in February and consider him to be a very good prospect (hence his being invited to EXST).

As for Kevin Kreier, he seemed to be pitching scared last year, but now he's MUCH more aggressive on the mound and he also is working a lot faster than he did last year, too. You wouldn't know it was the same pitcher. And yes, I would say he has a good chance to go to Boise next month.

And I also think Marcus Hatley has a good chance to go to Peoria even before that, especially if Alberto Cabrera continues to struggle.

Mark Pawelek might get promoted to Peoria pretty soon, too, but he apparently re-aggravated his ankle injury yesterday in Phoenix (although it didn't keep him from completing his three innings of work), so I don't know when exactly he will be pitching again. Hopefully it's no big thing and he can keep going forward with no further interruptions. The ankle especially bothers him when he has to cover 1st base. But who knows, maybe he's pitching better BECAUSE of the ankle problem... (The mohawk haircut might help, too).

Submitted by Raisin101 on Fri, 05/09/2008 - 05:04 pm

Thanks, AZ Phil. Hope that ankle injury isn't serious - that would be awful timing considering how well he's thrown of late. Good point on Israel Camacaro - Larry Suarez was at extended spring training last year too after signing the year before; and both Dae-Eun Rhee and Suarez were at instructs state-side right after they signed. Those 2 were pretty big UDFA signings (not wanting to imply how big a prospect Camacaro is there, just noting that he's in some signficant bonus company). Do you know how old Camacaro is?

Submitted by SheffieldCornelia on Sat, 05/10/2008 - 05:20 pm

I'm tenuously awaiting the way when the Cubs have to start converting pitchers to position players in order to fill all the required positions at EXST and in the minor league system.

Recent comments

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Miles Mastrobuoni cannot be recalled until he has spent at least ten days on optional assignment, unless he is recalled to replace a position player who is placed on an MLB inactive list (IL, Paternity, Bereavement / Family Medical). 

     

    And for a pitcher it's 15 days on optional assignment before he can be recalled, unless he is replacing a pitcher who is placed on an MLB inactive list (IL, Paternity, or Bereavement / Family Medical). 

     

    And a pitcher (or a position player, but almost always it's a pitcher) can be recalled as the 27th man for a doubleheader regardless of how many days he has been on optional assignment, but then he must be sent back down again the next day. 

     

    That's why the Cubs had to wait as long as they did to send Jose Cuas down and recall Keegan Thompson. Thompson needed to spend the first 15 days of the MLB regular season on optional assignment before he could be recalled (and he spent EXACTLY the first 15 days of the MLB regular season on optional assignment before he was recalled). 

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Indeed they do TJW!

    For the record I’m not in favor of solely building a team through paying big to free agents. But I’m also of the mind that when you develop really good players, get them signed to extensions that buy out a couple years of free agency, including with team options. And supplement the home grown players with free agent splashes or using excess prospects to trade for stars under team control for a few years. Sort of what Atlanta does, basically. Everyone talks about the dodgers but I feel that Atlanta is the peak organization at the current moment.

    That said, the constant roster churn is very Rays- ish. What they do is incredible, but it’s extremely hard to do which is why they’re the only ones frequently successful that employ that strategy. I definitely do not want to see a large market team like ours follow that model closely. But I don’t think free agent frenzies is always the answer. It’s really only the Dodgers that play in that realm. I could see an argument for the Mets too. The Yankees don’t really operate like that anymore since the elder Steinbrenner passed. Though I would say the reigning champions built a good deal of that team through free agent spending.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    The issue is the Cubs are 11-7 and have been on the road for 12 of those 18.  We should be at least 13-5, maybe 14-4. Jed isn't feeling any pressure to play anyone he doesn't see fit.
    But Canario on the bench, Morel not at 3B for Madrigal and Wisdom in RF wasn't what I thought would happen in this series.
    I was hoping for Morel at 3B, Canario in RF, Wisdom at DH and Madrigal as a pinch hitter or late replacement.
    Maybe Madrigal starts 1 game against the three LHSP for Miami.
    I'm thinking Canario goes back to Iowa on Sunday night for Mastrobuoni after the Miami LHers are gone.
    Canario needs ABs in Iowa and not bench time in MLB.
    With Seiya out for a while Wisdom is safe unless his SOs are just overwhelmingly bad.

    My real issue with the lineup isn't Madrigal. I'm not a fan, but I've given up on that one.
    It's Tauchman getting a large number of ABs as the de factor DH and everyday player.
    I didn't realize that was going to be the case.
    We need a better LH DH. PCA or ONKC need to force the issue in about a month.
    But, even if they do so, Jed doesn't have to change anything if the Cubs stay a few over .500!!!

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Totally depends on the team and the player involved. If your team’s philosophy is to pay huge dollars to bet on the future performance of past stars in order to win championships then, yes, all of the factors you mentioned are important.

    If on the other hand, if the team’s primary focus is to identify and develop future stars in an effort to win a championship, and you’re a young player looking to establish yourself as a star, that’s a fit too. Otherwise your buried within your own organization.

    Your comment about bringing up Canario for the purposes of sitting him illustrates perfectly the dangers of rewarding a non-performing, highly paid player over a hungry young prospect, like Canario, who is perpetually without a roster spot except as an insurance call up, but too good to trade. Totally disincentivizing the performance of the prospect and likely diminishing it.

    Sticking it to your prospects and providing lousy baseball to your fans, the consumers and source of revenue for your sport, solely so that the next free agent gamble finds your team to be a comfortable landing spot even if he sucks? I suppose  that makes sense to some teams but it’s definitely not the way I want to see my team run.

    Once again, DJL, our differences in philosophy emerge!

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    That’s just kinda how it works though, for every team. No team plays their best guys all the time. No team is comprising of their best 26 even removing injuries.

    When baseball became a business, like REALLY a business, it became important to keep some of the vets happy, which in turn keeps agents happy and keeps the team with a good reputation among players and agents. No one wants to play for a team that has a bad reputation in the same way no one wants to work for a company that has a bad rep.

    Don’t get me wrong, I hate it too. But there’s nothing anyone can do about it.

    On that topic, I find it silly the Cubs brought up Canario to sit as much as he has. He’s going to get Velazquez’d, and it’s a shame.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Of course, McKinstry runs circles around $25 million man Javier Baez on that Tigers team. Guess who gets more playing time?

    But I digress…

  • Sonicwind75 (view)

    Seems like Jed was trying to corner the market on mediocre infielders with last names starting with "M" in acquiring Madrigal, Mastroboney and Zach McKinstry.  

     

    At least he hasn't given any of them a Bote-esque extension.  

  • Childersb3 (view)

    AZ Phil:
    Rookie ball (ACL) starts on May 4th. Do yo think Ramon and Rosario (maybe Delgado) stay in Mesa for the month of May, then go to MB if all goes "solid"?
     

  • crunch (view)

    masterboney is a luxury on a team that has multiple, capable options for 2nd, SS, and 3rd without him around.  i don't hate the guy, but if madrigal is sticking around then masterboney is expendable.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    I THINK I agree with that decision. They committed to Wicks as a starter and, while he hasn’t been stellar I don’t think he’s been bad enough to undo that commitment.

    That said, Wesneski’s performance last night dictates he be the next righty up.

    Quite the dilemma. They have many good options, particularly in relief, but not many great ones. And complicating the situation is that the pitchers being paid the most are by and large performing the worst - or in Taillon’s case, at least to this point, not at all.

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