Left behind in Mesa after their teammates flew home to Chicago, Cubs RHSP Hayden Wesneski hurled five innings of one-run ball with seven strikeouts and catcher Luis Torrens singled, doubled and scored, and lofted a sacrifice fly, helping the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Chicago Cubs' Lo-A affiliate) take a 3-1 lead, but Jean Walters belted an RBI triple and scored on a passed ball in the top of the 9th, as the Hillsboro Hops (Hi-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks) rallied to edge the Pelicans 4-3 on Field #6, and Anderdson Rojas drilled a bases-loaded triple and an RBI single, Franyel Baez r

Pete Crow-Armstrong singled, doubled, tripled, reached base on an HBP, scored a run, and drove-in another, Jordan Nwogu tripled, singled twice, and drove-in a run, Pablo Aliendo laced a two-run triple, scored a run, and drew a walk, Luis Vazquez drilled a two-run single, walked, and scored a run, Owen Caissie ripped an RBI double, walked, and scored a run, and Zach Davis singled twice, scored two runs, and stole a base, as the Tennessee Smokies (AA affiliate of the Chicago Cubs) rallied to overcome an early 4-0 deficit and defeated the Hartford Yard Goats (AA affiliate of the Colorado Rockies) 9-5 on Field #5, and the Albuquerque Isotopes rallied for four runs in the 9th and defeated the Iowa Cubs (AAA affiliate of the Cubs) 6-4 on Field #6, in Cactus League minor league game action Saturday afternoon at the Riverview Baseball Complex in Mesa, AZ.   

Nelson Velazquez belted a solo HR and Matt Mervis singled twice, walked, and collected an RBI on a sacrifice fly for the I-Cubs in a losing cause.   

Iowa catcher Dom Nunez left the game in the top of the 2nd inning after being struck by a batter's back-swing, and I-Cubs Yonathan Perlaza injured his left shoulder in the top of the 9th after crashing into the RF wall while attempting to catch one of two run-scoring doubles in that inning (he left the field under his own power). As the result of the Nunez injury and with I-Cubs back-up catcher Caleb Knight having traveled to Tempe with the Cubs MLB squad, Jake Washer had to be "drafted" from the Tennessee squad to catch the AAA game (Tennessee was playing on an adjacent backfield, so he didn't have to go very far), and he had two hits, scored a run, and threw out a runner attempting to steal.   

Miguel Amaya caught the first seven innings of the AA game on Field #5, and threw out a runner trying to steal. 

All three of the pitchers who worked for AA Tennessee were temporarily moved-up from lower levels (Richard Gallardo and Sheldon Reed from South Bend and Grant Kipp from Myrtle Beach), and Riley Martin was temporarily moved-up to AAA Iowa from AA Tennessee (and Martin blew the save on Field #6).   

In minor league camp roster news, OF Pete Crow-Armstrong, infielders Chase Strumpf and Andy Weber, 1B Bryce Ball, catchers Miguel Amaya and Bryce Windham, and RHPs Samuel Reyes and Joe Nahas have been moved-down from the AAA Iowa squad to the AA Tennessee squad, OFs Yohendrick Pinango and Brad Beesley, catcher Ethan Hearn, and RHP Jarod Wright have been moved down from the AA Tennessee squad to the Hi-A South Bend squad, OF Christian Franklin, C Malcom Quintero, 1B-C Miguel Fabrizio, INF Rafael Morel, LHP Chase Watkins, and RHP Gregori Montano have been moved-down from the Hi-A South Bend squad to the Lo-A Myrtle Beach squad, LHP Christian Winston and RHP Mathew Peters were moved-down from the South Bend squad to the Extended Spring Training (Mesa) group, and LHPs Jose Aquino and Joel Machado, RHPs Gleiber Morales, Starlyn Pichardo, Cristian Rojas, Jose Romero, and Tomy Sanchez, C Adan Sanchez, INF Jefferson Rojas, and OF Ismael Mena have been moved-down from the Myrtle Beach squad to the EXST (Mesa) group. 

Also, because of the injury to INF James Triantos (knee surgery - torn meniscus), INF Juan Mora has been moved up to Hi-A South Bend from Lo-A Myrtle Beach.  
           
Updated minor league camp assignments & organizational depth chart (updated 3/25): https://www.thecubreporter.com/cubs-organizational-depth-chart

Here are the abridged box scores from the two minor league games played on the Riverview backfields Saturday afternoon (Cubs players only): 

Reggie Preciado and Felix Stevens stroked RBI singles for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Cubs Lo-A affiliate) and Jansel Luis ripped an RBI double and LHP Avery Short and three relievers combined to toss a four-hitter for the Visalia Rawhide (Arizona Diamondbacks Lo-A affiliate), as the two teams played to a 2-2 tie in Cactus League minor league game action Wednesday afternoon on Field #6 at the Riverview Baseball Complex in Mesa, AZ. 

Although the game was played on a Cubs backfield, Visalia played as the home team to provide an extra half inning on defense for one additional Rawhide pitcher who needed to work in the game.

The game was called early because the Myrtle Beach squad ran out of available pitchers after RHP Anthony Mendez suffered what appeared to be a right elbow injury on his first pitch (HBP). Because the South Bend Cubs (Hi-A affiliate of the Cubs) were playing their game in the stadium instead of on an adjacent backfield, it wasn't possible for Myrtle Beach to "draft" one of the South Bend pitchers so that the game could continue, as normally would have been the case.  

Prior to the game, 1B-OF Felix Stevens was moved down to the Myrtle Beach squad from the AA Tennessee squad, and SS Cristian Hernandez, C Moises Ballesteros, and OF Jacob Wetzel were moved down to the Myrtle Beach squad from the South Bend squad.

Also, INF Reivaj Garcia was moved down to the Extended Spring Training  (EXST) group from the AAA Iowa squad, INF-OF Christian Olivo was moved down to the EXST group from the AA Tennessee squad, INF Yeison Santana was moved down to the EXST group from the Hi-A South Bend squad, and C Ronnier Quintero, 1B-OF Anderson Suriel, and OF Frank Hernandez were moved-down to the EXST group from the Myrtle Beach squad. 

Here is the abridged box score from the game (Cubs players only):  

Here are the Cubs Minor League Camp group rosters (updated 3/21). 

With the first game if the 2023 season only ten days away, the Cubs have not yet solved for variables at third base, right field, the back end of the rotation, and in the bullpen. Follow along and discuss here as the Cubs make their final roster calculations before the counting stats start counting.

Jared Young (RBI single) and Esteban Quiroz (two-run single) drilled consecutive two-out RBI hits in the bottom of the 3rd to put the I-Cubs on the board, Levi Jordan walloped an opposite field two-run HR in the 6th, and Brennen Davis singled twice and scored a run, leading the Iowa Cubs (AAA affiliate of the Chicago Cubs) to a 5-3 victory over the Sacramento River Cats (AAA affiliate of the San Francisco Giants) on Field #6, and Owen Caissie belted a towering solo HR over the RF fence and onto Cubs Way in the bottom of the 1st, doubled and scored in the 3rd, and walked and stole a base in the 6th, Luis Verdugo smacked a solo HR over the LF fence and into the dog pound parking lot (just missed my truck) in the 5th, Ethan Hearn ripped a two-run double and scored in the 4th and walked in the 6th, and Brad Beesley hammered a game-tying HR for the Tennessee Smokies (Cubs double-A affiliate), and Andy Thomas (acquired from the Seattle Mariners at the 2022 MLB Trade Deadline for Matthew Boyd and Curt Casali) doubled twice, scored a run, and drove-in another for the Richmond Flying Squirrels (Giants AA affiliate), as the two teams played to a 6-6 tie on Field #5, in Cactus League minor league game action Monday afternoon at the Riverview Baseball Complex in Mesa, AZ.  

Here are the abridged box scores from the two games (Cubs players only): 

Andy Garriola clubbed a 420+ foot solo HR over the right-centerfield fence, singled, and drew a walk, Christian Franklin singled twice, walked, and drove-in two runs, Kevin Made singled, walked twice, stole two bases, and scored two runs, Haydn McGeary doubled, walked and scored a run, Jacob Wetzel belted a solo HR, and Tyler Santana and five relievers combined to toss a four-hitter, leading the South Bend Cubs (Hi-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs) to a 5-1 victory over the Eugene Emeralds (San Francisco Giants' Hi-A affiliate) on Field #6, and the San Jose Giants (Lo-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants) took advantage of ten walks, a HBP, a WP, a PB, and two costly errors to defeat the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Cubs' Lo-A affiliate) 4-2 on Field #5, in Cactus League minor league game action Tuesday afternoon at the Riverview Baseball Complex in Mesa, AZ.  

Here are the abridged box scores from the two games (Cubs players only):

Andy Garriola, Parker Chavers, and Jacob Wetzel drilled run-scoring hits, as the South Bend Cubs (Hi-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs) edged the Lansing Lugnuts (Oakland Athletics Hi-A affiliate) 5-4 on Field #4, and Luis Marinez tripled and scored, Darlyn Montero and Pedro Pineda ripped RBI singles, and Wander Guante and five relievers combined to toss a five-hitter, as the Stockton Ports (A's Lo-A affiliate) edged the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Cubs Lo-A affiliate) 2-1 on Field #3, in Cactus League minor league game action Monday Afternoon at the Lew Wolff Training Complex at Fitch Park in Mesa, AZ.    

Here are the abridged box scores from the two games (Cubs players only):  

Early Cactus League action delivered a pair of scares to the Chicago Cubs as Seiya Suzuki is anticipated to miss the start of the season with an oblique strain and Justin Steele briefly dealt with the effects of arm fatigue. Meanwhile, righty role players Trey Mancini and David Bote have shown off some Spring Training power and positioned themselves favorably in competitions for playing time. Overall, the pitch clock has probably been the star of Spring Training thus far in 2023.