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

Cubs vs. Pirates: Series Thread (Games 34-36)

The Cubs took two games in Arizona to seal their second Series win in a row. They return to Wrigley for a seven-game homestand, kicking things off with three against the Pirates. See below for daily matchups.

Game 34, Monday, May 16, 6:40 pm central

CHC: LHP Wade Miley (0-0, 9.00 ERA)

PIT: TBD


CHC: TBD

PIT: RHP JT Brubaker (0-0, 5.34 ERA)


CHC: LHP Drew Smyly (1-3, 3.64 ERA)

PIT: RHP Mitch Keller (0-5, 6.61 ERA)

Comments

contreras grand slam.  career HR #100

they sell the entire f'n team and this dude doesn't have an extension...

christopher morel is up!

heyward to covid IL.  no idea if he got vax'd pre-season, but him and rizzo were the team's anti-vax'rs last year.  rizzo got vax'd a few weeks after signing with the yanks.

also brandon hughes (LH relief) is up and conner menez is down.

one guy is a high end prospect, the other is a failed OF'r turned pitcher (he pitched in college) and he has been amazing this season.

both could figure into the cubs plans for years.

I'm still trying to figure out the COVID rules. Since Hughes comes up as a COVID replacement, when he gets sent back down to Iowa, I'm rather sure he can be deleted from the 40 man roster without any consequence. I'm not sure if that's also happening with Menez, though, who has been in MLB before.

[ ]

In reply to by tim815

TIM: The way a CoViD-19 IL works with respect to a replacement player is this: 

A replacement player can be recalled from an optional assignment without any restriction as far as the ten day minimum number of days on optional assignment before he can be recalled is concerned, and when he is optioned back to the minors, the option does not count toward the five option maximum per season. 

If the replacement player was not already on the 40 and is added to the 40 as a replacement player, he can be returned to the minor league team from which he came without waivers being required, and the player cannot elect free-agency if he had Article XX-D rights.  

All that said, the actual replacement player is the only player who has this status. So when Marcus Stroman was placed on the CoViD-19 related IL, Adrian Sampson was added to the 40-man roster (and 26-man roster) as the replacement for Marcus Stroman, and only he could be removed from the 26-man roster and 40-man roster without restriction, and that would be only when Stroman was reinstated. As it turned out, the Cubs needed Sampson's slot on the 40 before Stroman was ready to be reinstated, so Sampson was Designated for Assignment and then subsequently claimed off waivers by the Seattle Mariners.  

A couple of days before he was Designated for Assignment, the Cubs optioned Sampson to Iowa to make room on the 26-man roster for Conner Menez, so Sampson remained Stroman's replacement player on the 40, Menez was not called up as a replacement player for Stroman. That's why he was optioned to the minors yesterday (he has as 4th minor league option in 2022).  

When David Robertsin was placed on the CoVoD-19-related IL, the replacement player was Frank Schwindel. That's because Schwindel otherwise could not have been recalled until he had spent at least ten days on Optional Assignmment. 

As far as Brandon Hughes is concerned, he can be removed ffom the 40 and returned to the minors when Jason Heyward is reinstafed, but if the Cubs want to send Hughes back to the minors before Heyward is reinstated, he would have to be optioned like any other player (as happened with Sampson when the Cubs selected Conner Menez). 

vogelbomb just hit a stand-up triple vs thompson/happ.  1st triple in his career.

dismantle this whole f'n team and start over.

[ ]

In reply to by Eric S

thompson, kilian, steele...it's weird to have...what are they called...we haven't had multiple ones in a long time...oh yeah, pitching prospects that are actually MLB-ready.

hopefully brailyn marquez will become something other than an oft-injured prospect.  it's not official, but i would be surprised if alzolay returned as a starter...he could be a dangerous pen option, though.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

In 2006, the five Cub starters with the most starts were Zambrano (age 25), Maddux (age 40), Sean Marshall (age 23), Rich Hill (age 26) and converted catcher Carlos Marmol (age 23). IIRC, all 5 were drafted or an international signee (Marmol) by the Cubs front office. Haven't checked the years after that but I'd be surprised if there was another season like that (i.e., the most starts all made by Cubs home grown talent). 

[ ]

In reply to by Eric S

rick reushel, dennis lamp, mike krukow, and ray burris had a good amount of starts together in the late 70s.  it's arguable whether ray burris should have been pitching at all some of those years, but that was a decent crop by modern cubs standards.

[ ]

In reply to by Eric S

i was born in late 76.  if I actually saw any of those late-70s starts I was probably drooling all over myself or trying to run without falling over too much.

kinda funny, but a chunk of my knowledge about Cubs history is rooted in my Cubs baseball card colletion that goes back to the early 1900s.  trying to find historical representatives to add to the set involves hunting around in team/player history.

Recent comments

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Javier Assad started the Lo-A game (Myrtle Beach versus Stockton) on the Cubs backfields on Wednesday as his final Spring Training tune-up. He was supposed to throw five innings / 75 pitches. However, I was at the minor league road games at Fitch so I didn't see Assad pitch. 

  • crunch (view)

    cards put j.young on waivers.

    they really tried to make it happen this spring, but he put up a crazy bad slash of .081/.244/.108 in 45PA.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Seconded!!!

  • crunch (view)

    another awesome spring of pitching reports.  thanks a lot, appreciated.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Here are the Cubs pitchers reports from Tuesday afternoon's Cardinals - Cubs game art Sloan Park in Mesa:

    SHOTA IMANAGA
    FB: 90-92 
    CUT: 87-89 
    SL: 82-83 
    SPLIT: 81-84
    CV: 73-74 
    COMMENT: Worked three innings plus two batters in the fourth... allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits (six singles and two doubles) walked one, and struck out six (four swinging), with a 1/2 GO/AO... he threw 73 pitches (52 strikes - 10 swing & miss - 19 foul balls)... surrendered one run in the top of the 1st on a one-out double off Cody Bellinger's glove in deep straight-away CF followed one out later by two consecutive two-out bloop singles, allowed two runs (one earned) in the 2nd after retiring the first two hitters (first batter had a nine-pitch AB with four consecutive two-strike foul balls before being retired 3 -U) on a two-out infield single (weak throw on the run by Nico Hoerner), a hard-contact line drive RBI double down the RF line, and an E-1 (missed catch) by Imanaga on what should been an inning-ending 3-1 GO, gave up another run in the 3rd on a two-out walk on a 3-2 pitch and an RBI double to LF, and two consecutive singles leading off the top of the 4th before being relieved (runners were ultimately left stranded)... threw 18 pitches in the 1st inning (14 strikes - two swing & miss, one on FB and the other on a SL - four foul balls), 24 pitches in the 2nd inning (17 strikes - three swing & miss, one on FB, two SPLIT - six foul balls), 19 pitches in the 3rd inning (13 strikes - seven swing & miss, three on SL, two on SPLIT, one on FB - three foul balls), and 12 pitches without retiring a batter in the top of the 4th (8 strikes - no swing & miss - four foul balls)... Imanaga throws a lot of pitches per inning, but it's not because he doesn't throw strikes...  if anything, he throws too many strikes (he threw 70% strikes on Tuesday)... while he gets a ton of swing & miss (and strikeouts), he also induces a lot of foul balls because he doesn't try to make hitters chase his pitches by throwing them out of the strike zone... rather, he uses his very diverse pitch mix to get swing & miss (and lots of foul balls as well)... he also is a fly ball pitcher who will give up more than his share of HR during the course of the season...   
     
    JOE NAHAS
    FB: 90-92 
    SL: 83-85 
    CV: 80-81 
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day... relieved Imanaga with runners at first and second and no outs in the top of the 4th, and after an E-2 catcher's interference committed by Miguel Amaya loaded he bases, Nahas struck out the side (one swinging & two looking)... threw 16 pitches (11 strikes - two swinging)...   

    YENCY ALMONTE
    FB: 89-92 
    CH: 86 
    SL: 79 
    COMMENT: Threw an eight-pitch 5th (five strikes - no swing & miss), with a 5-3 GO for the first out and an inning-ending 4-6-3 DP after a one-out single... command was a bit off but he worked through it...   

    FRANKIE SCALZO JR
    FB: 94-95
    CH: 88 
    SL: 83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 6th inning... got the first outs easily (a P-5 and a 4-3 GO) on just three pitches, before allowing three consecutive two-out hard-contact hits (a double and two singles), with the third hit on pitch # 9 resulting in a runner being thrown out at the plate by RF Christian Franklin for the third out of the inning... 

    MICHAEL ARIAS
    FB: 94-96
    CH: 87-89
    SL: 82-83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and allowed a hard-contact double on the third pitch of the 7th inning (a 96 MPH FB), and the runner came around to score on a 4-3 GO and a WP... gave up two other loud contact outs (an L-7 and an F-9)... threw 18 pitches (only 10 strikes - only one swing & miss)... stuff is electric but still very raw and he continues to have difficulty commanding it, and while he has the repertoire of a SP, he throws too many pitches-per-inning to be a SP and not enough strikes to be a closer... he is most definitely still a work-in-progress...   

    ZAC LEIGH: 
    FB: 93-94 
    CH: 89 
    SL: 81-83 
    CV: 78
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and tossed a 1-2-3 8th (4-3 GO, K-swinging on a sweeper, K-looking on another sweeper)... threw 14 pitches (11 strikes - one swing & miss - eight foul balls)... kept pumping pitches into the strike zone but had difficulty putting hitters away (ergo a ton of foul balls)... FB velo is nowhere near the 96-98 MPH it was a couple of years ago when he was a Top 30 prospect, but his secondaries are better...   

    JOSE ROMERO:  
    FB: 93-95
    SL: 82-84
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 9th (14 pitches - only six strikes- no swing & miss) and allowed a solo HR after two near-HR fly outs to the warning track, before getting a 3-1 GO to end the inning... it was like batting practice when he wasn't throwing pitches out of the strike zone...

  • crunch (view)

    pablo sandoval played 3rd and got a couple ABs (strikeout, single!) in the OAK@SF "exhibition"

    mlb officially authenticated the ball of the single he hit.  nice.

    he's in surprisingly good shape considering his poor body condition in his last playing seasons.  he's not lean, but he looks healthier.  good for him.

  • crunch (view)

    dbacks are signing j.montgomery to a 1/25m with a vesting 20m player option.

    i dunno when the ink officially dries, but i believe if he signs once the season begins he can't be offered a QO...and i'm not sure if that thing with SD/LAD in korea was the season beginning, either.

  • crunch (view)

    sut says imanaga getting the home opener at wrigley (game 4 of the season).

  • crunch (view)

    cubs rolling out the who's who of "who the hell is this guy?" in the last spring game.

  • videographer (view)

    AZ Phil, speaking of Jordan Wicks having better command when he tires a bit, I remember reading about Dennis Lamp 40 years ago and his sinker that was better after 3 or 4 innings when he would tire a bit and get more sink with a little less speed on the pitch.  The key for Lamp was getting to the 4th inning.