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, 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

Cubs @ Reds: Lester vs. DeSclafani (Game 158)

Submitted by CTSteve on

Lester heads to the mound for his final regular season game.

CHC (92-65): LHP Jon Lester (10-12, 3.43)
CIN (63-94): RHP Anthony DeSclafani (9-12, 3.91)
First pitch: 6:10pmCT

Lester lost against Pittsburgh (7 IP, 2 ER) on Friday. He’s 2-2 with a 2.65 in his five September starts. He’s 0-0 with  4.74 in his three games against the Reds this year. They are 28-93 (.301) against him. Phillips is 4-9.

DeSclafani lost to the Mets (6.1 IP, 5 ER) his last time out. He’s 1-1 with 1.88 in four games against the Cubs this year. They are hitting .195 against him. Bryant is 4-9.

If the Cubs win the wild card game, Lester will presumably start the first game of the NLDS, which will be on Friday, Oct. 9. One option would have worked it so that his last start would have been on Saturday or Sunday, so he’d start the playoff series on normal rest.

Go Cubs!

Tags
Cubs 2015 Game Thread

Comments

Submitted by James Watkins on Wed, 09/30/2015 - 09:21 am

Probably for the Pirates game Berry will be on the roster since they will only need eight pitchers. For the Cardinal series I can't imagine he would be picked over Soler, DeNorfia, Baez, La Stella, or even Ross or Jackson. You know they want Rondon, Strop, Rodney, Cahill, Wood, Richard, and Ramirez plus four starters.

Submitted by blockhead25 on Wed, 09/30/2015 - 09:13 pm

It makes some sense to carry him throughout the playoffs. A large percentage of games will be decided by 1-2 runs late. Having any 8th or 9th inning hit or walk become a double is a very nice luxury and could be worth a spot. With that said, he hasn't done much his last few games, so if it isn't a high likelihood he's going to move, then forget it.

Submitted by blockhead25 on Wed, 09/30/2015 - 09:26 pm

Cubs worst in baseball at scoring run from 3rd with less than 2-outs. They score 42% of the time, league average is 51% Cubs batting a whopping 40 points lower in those situations than the 2nd worst team and 141 points lower than the best team. The strikeout rate in those situations is alarming. Cubs have to learn that the pressure is more on the pitcher to prevent a run than it is on the batter to score the run. Just Make Contact. http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/34676/cubs-achilles-heel…

Submitted by jacos on Wed, 09/30/2015 - 09:47 pm

No typo Schwarber batting lead off today. Der Kaiser rolls!

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Submitted by crunch on Wed, 09/30/2015 - 09:23 pm

...and ajax hitting 2nd. maddon is neat and all, but if he's going to keep doing this with players like ajax (hitting 1st or 2nd pretty much exclusively as a cub) then the front office needs keep guys like this away from maddon. yeah, today's lineup is a bunch of "who cares"...much like yesterday and tomorrow...but this didn't start only when it didn't matter. beyond this, i wish someone would find out what's up with it in order to make sense of it even if it's not good sense. a little predictability on player roles like this would be handy to better figure out maddon from a fan's POV...just curiosity.

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Submitted by blockhead25 on Wed, 09/30/2015 - 09:28 pm

Cubs are 10-2 in games in which Austin had more 3 or more plate appearances and he did start pretty hot after joining the Cubs. He's also only started 1 of the last 10 games. He's the least of my worries about the team/Maddon heading into the playoffs.

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Submitted by crunch on Wed, 09/30/2015 - 09:50 pm

yeah, it's a joke...sorry. my problem isn't that he's playing, or the team is 10-2 when he plays...it's that he's hitting 1st and 2nd when he plays. why is he being given those slots for a guy of his skill set. -edit- i edited the original "so...keep batting him 1st or 2nd. gotcha." to "so...keep batting him 1st or 2nd. =p" because i thought it sounded a bit dick-ish upon reflection...which it evidently did. i don't want my message to be lost in an unintentional dick move.

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Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Wed, 09/30/2015 - 09:49 pm

If Jackson were Denard Span, would you scratch your head when he batted first or second? He's not as good as Span, but he's the same type, and he's the best we have of that type. Span steals 26 bases a year, while Coghlan, for example, steals 11. Jackson, with 20 SBs/year, is closer to Span. Some nights--or against certain late-inning relievers--the bats aren't squaring the ball up. Maddon likes to steal a run in those situations. If you don't agree with that emphasis, that's fine. But there's nothing puzzling about it.

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Submitted by blockhead25 on Wed, 09/30/2015 - 09:35 pm

Given today's lineup, I don't know who would be a better candidate for #2. Maybe Soler? But, Jackson has only stolen 1 base since he joined the Cubs, and is 16/25 in steal attempts this year, which isn't great by any stretch. Between the low OBP and the low steal rate, the numbers don't necessarily back up the thought of getting speed on the bases.

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Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Thu, 10/01/2015 - 10:08 am

The Cubs are tenth in the majors in SBs with 92, 72 of which do not belong to Fowler. Last year they were 24th. Maddon is sending baserunners like Rizzo (17 steals), Bryant (13) and Coghlan (11). He will certainly send Jackson, and bat him second accordingly, ahead of the RBI guys. In any case, Jackson came to his own (and his manager's) defense last night, so I didn't have to say anything. I should have trusted crunch's impeccable timing.

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Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Thu, 10/01/2015 - 10:29 pm

"What exactly is the attraction?" They look at what he did in 600 PA's for Detroit in 2012. He's only 28; he's got a great body; maybe something is getting ready to click for him. Sort of like Arietta a couple of years ago. Epstein/Hoyer thought there might be something there, and Maddon rolled out the red carpet for him like he does for everyone, on the off-chance the guy might deserve it. I'm not making any predictions, but he could be the CF next year.

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Submitted by johann on Thu, 10/01/2015 - 10:13 pm

The game is littered with players who had one good year and carried that into a career of mediocrity. That 2012 season by the way he had a BABIP of .371 unlike all the other years when it's around average. He also had 12 SBs that year and 9 CS which is just awful. He might be fast but he obviously isn't very good at stealing bases. We've seen plenty of average to poor players get hot during the playoffs and maybe that will happen here which would be wonderful. But if we offer a starting position to a player with no on base skills and a seeming lack of ability to turn speed into a reasonable SB to CS ratio based on one good year where he had a way out of whack BABIP that would be pretty dumb. I love Theo and Madden both a lot more than Crunch and think both are excellent at their jobs and the best we've had but I would easily say that was a mistake and I think it's a mistake hitting this guy 1st or 2nd. A

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Submitted by Rob Richardson on Thu, 10/01/2015 - 10:17 pm

He was acquired when Soler's return was in question, and for defensive help. As for who will play in the playoffs, it seems there that there are top men looking into that: 'Maddon and the front office have their stat guys running “simulations” with offensive-oriented lineups and then defensive ones. The biggest decisions might come in the outfield as PNC Park in Pittsburgh -- most likely where the game will be played -- has a lot of room to roam. “The ballpark is a unique configuration,” Hoyer said. “That’s one of many factors we’re going to talk about.” The other tough decision is at second base where Maddon has three capable players in Starlin Castro, Javier Baez and Tommy La Stella. Each bring a unique set of skills to the game.' http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/34747/cubs-playoff-roste… More on who starts at second: "I told my guys what I'm thinking," Maddon continued. "They'll run through the simulations and bring it back to me. ... I know what I think I want to do. I want to find out how it plays out." http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/34729/starlin-castro-you…

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Submitted by crunch on Thu, 10/01/2015 - 10:29 pm

fwiw...i think maddon could easily be the best manager we've had in my lifetime and though i hate the method for how theo/jed built the team i have no issue with them. yeah, i think maddon's overpaid...yeah, i think tanking a team for 3 years is bullshit...but no, i don't hate these guys.

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Submitted by crunch on Wed, 09/30/2015 - 09:59 pm

no, it helps one figure out what they're likely to do with a player...the "fan's POV" part. for instance, dusty...speed leads, contact hits 2nd...it's practically religion even if every lineup he made wasn't done this way. he was known to occasionally put an ob% guy 2nd or a secondary speed guy 2nd, too. maddon has historically been a speed leads guy quite often, himself. he's not immune to putting a low ob% guy up top because he's fast. it would be nice to know why he keeps putting ajax hitting 1st or 2nd.

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Submitted by crunch on Thu, 10/01/2015 - 10:44 am

seriously, you're absolutely fine with ajax being a #1 or #2 hitter? that's okay...no problem. it's a non-issue that ajax, even coming over with underwhelming numbers, is seen by this manager as a #1 or #2 hitter even after tanking his already underwhelming numbers after he came over? history of comments about past managers and their roster management, even when leading to the playoffs, says otherwise. maddon isn't an infallible god. he can do dumb shit even if he rarely does dumb shit. it would be nice to know why he's doing it, even if just for pure curiosity.

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Submitted by Tito on Thu, 10/01/2015 - 10:45 am

I totally agree...all managers do thing that make you wonder. I just know that Maddon better knows what his players can do/can't do than any of us. So many people here and elsewhere seem to think if they were handed the reins of the Cubs today that they wouldn't crap their pants the first time they had to make a decision. If I were manager, would I bat Jackson second? Probably not. But is Maddon doing so going to dramatically impact the season? I doubt it.

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Submitted by crunch on Thu, 10/01/2015 - 10:56 am

you can say "he knows better" about any manager for any situation. i'm more interested in knowing why ajax is a 1 or 2 hitter in this manager's head. what happens when he gets a player like this in the future? what happens if ajax is retained for some reason to take fowler's CF starting spot and he's hitting 1st or 2nd for an extended perioid while flailing...does maddon get a pass on that because it's his show and we shouldn't question it? does asking WHY he's doing it mean someone is an enemy of the state shitting on the grand ruler? we had dusty helming playoff teams and questioning his every move was a national sport. hell, successful-tem mattingly is questioned...girardi is questioned...every rsox manager ever is questioned. just because maddon is a helluh talented dude doesn't mean when he does something like batting ajax at the top of the lineup it isn't something that should be mused over, discussed, or outright 'wtf' because he's immune to being questioned.

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Submitted by Tito on Thu, 10/01/2015 - 10:02 am

Do you consider batting him second a blatanly dumb move? Maybe you do. I guess it's a matter of style/opinion, but I don't generally complain about lineup construction. If he had Jackson from the start of the season and batted him there 150 games, then maybe I'd feel differently. A few games here and there, particularly with a playoff spot locked up, I don't see the point of complaining about it or even giving it much thought. Clearly you do.

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Submitted by crunch on Thu, 10/01/2015 - 10:53 am

given both his past performance, his expected performance, and his performance since coming over, yes, i consider it a dumb move to have him hitting 1st or 2nd. i don't think he's trash, but i don't consider him worthy of the extra PAs...which aren't insignificant if you extend it over the course of a season. keep in mind this started before they were locked into the 2nd WC slot. this isn't some new thing that popped up this week. trying to figure out why he's doing it can lead one to predict whether he'd actually use a guy like him for 150 games. this dude hasn't performed in 2 seasons, wasn't performing when he was traded for, and he's been thrown into the 1 or 2 slot regardless of pitcher/batter matchup. here's what i wanna know...why? anyone seen a sound bite...an article...anything...why does he view ajax as a 1 or 2 hitter?

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Submitted by johann on Thu, 10/01/2015 - 10:54 am

I do agree with Crunch on this specific thing. Jackson has an awful OBP, especially with us. Speed is meaningless if you don't get on base. You have to put people in front of Bryant and Rizzo that will reliably get on base. I'd put Castro up there now with his current hot streak. La Stella is a better option when he's in too.

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Submitted by billybucks on Wed, 09/30/2015 - 09:34 pm

If they don't re-sign Fowler, I wonder if they would consider Schwarber in the leadoff spot next year Very good OBP, even when the BA dips, and a good eye at the plate, with obvious pop. Not much speed, but then they really don't have a speed guy in the lineup without Fowler.

Submitted by blockhead25 on Wed, 09/30/2015 - 09:40 pm

Interesting to realize that the last three high profile managers the Cubs have hired (Baker, Pinella, Maddon) have beaten expectations out of the gate and oversaw major turn arounds in wins and taken the team to the playoffs after extended gaps in year one. While some of Maddon's decisions leave me scratching my head, I can't fathom a more perfect manager for the young talent we have. I also think that he takes some big risks, such as putting lefties 1-6 against a RHP one day, and then all righties against a RHP with reverse splits the next day, and they inevitably pay off.

Submitted by blockhead25 on Wed, 09/30/2015 - 09:38 pm

I think the one important factor of this game is Lester. Would have liked to see him go into the playoffs truly pitching like an ace. Not a great start. Our offense striking out 5 times in 6 at bats against a pitcher who has been pummeled in the last 2 games isn't too great either.

Submitted by blockhead25 on Wed, 09/30/2015 - 09:52 pm

Cubs Starting Pitching last 5 games: 7IP, 1H, 0ER, 0BB, 9K 6IP, 2H, 0ER, 2BB, 9K 7.1IP, 3H, 0ER, 0BB, 6K 8.0 IP, 3H, 1ER, 0BB, 9K 28.1 IP, 9H, 1ER, 2BB, 33K Wow.

Submitted by billybucks on Wed, 09/30/2015 - 09:13 pm

Bryant (99) and Rizzo (95) have gone RBI-cold lately. Hope they both get to 100 -- doesn't really matter, but it will look better on the Rookie of the Year plaque, and on their career statistical summaries. Edit: KB has knocked in one run in his last 7 games -- Rizzo none in his last 8.

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Submitted by blockhead25 on Wed, 09/30/2015 - 09:19 pm

Definitely more worried about Rizzo than KB at this point. KB has had fewer opportunities, but is still getting hits. Rizzo has been pretty cold at the plate all month, and we need him to pick it up. I do hope Bryant gets 100 though...Rizzo may not get enough opportunities to reach that level.

Recent comments

  • Raisin101 (view)

    Hi Arizona Phil!

    Exciting to see Naz Mule in box scores a few times. What's his stuff like now after the TJS?

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Mastrobuoni can't come back, yet

    Wisdom does have an option left. He can hide in Iowa if Jed DFA's someone else

    Does Brennan Davis get shown the door? I know it's too early for that, but these injuries are crunching the roster of a 12-7 team playoff demands and BDavis isn't going to help anytime soon.

    Someone has to go to add Peralta. And Canario isn't going to get to play everyday regardless of RHers or LHers. Neither is Tauchman. Also don't see PCA getting a chance over Peralta.

    If Jed does those moves:

    4 OF: Belli, Peralta, Canny, Tauch

    2 C: Gomes and Amaya

    2 DH: Cooper and Mervis

    5 INF: Busch, Nico, Dansby, Morel, Madrigal

    Little short on OF depth but two injuries will do that  

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    I have had the pleasure of watching some of the young A's pitchers lately (first Joe Boyle the last day of Minor League Spring Training in March, and more recently Luis Morales last week and Steven Echavarria yesterday at Extended Spring Training), and it reminds me of the Miami Marlins a couple of years ago. A really nice collection of young pitchers. It will be interesting to see what the A's will get for two years of ex-Cub Paul Blackburn at the Trade Deadline (there should be a robust market for Blackburn). 

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Good deal

    MB needs some talent infusion!

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Childersb3: Very possible. Suriel, too. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    DJL: if a pitcher is recalled to be the 27th man for a doubleheader and then is optioned back to the minors the next day, the 15-day "clock" does NOT reset. The one day call-up for the doubleheader is treated like it never happened with respect to a pitcher having to spend at least 15 days on optional assignment before he can be recalled. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Probably the only reason David Peralta is still in the organization (he is at AAA Iowa) is to be available in case anything bad were to happen to Ian Happ (which it just did). So if Happ needs to go on the IL, the Cubs can select Peralta to play LF, DFA Wisdom (and hope he and what remains of his $2.725M salary gets claimed off waivers), and recall Mervis to platoon at DH with Cooper (with Canario / Tauchman sharing RF), at least until Suzuki and Happ are back...

     

  • crunch (view)

    i'd just like to take a moment to express to the world i'm still pissed willson contreras is not a cub when the pricetag was 5/87m (17.5m/yr).

    it would be nice to have a legacy-type player to stick around, especially one with his leadership and the respect he gets from his peers.  cubs fans deserved more than 1 season of contreras + morel...that was gold.

  • crunch (view)

    happ, right hamstring tightness, day-to-day (hopefully 0 days).

    he will be reevaluated tomorrow.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    I guess I'm not looking for that type of AB 

    Just a difference of opinion

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