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 Trio Help Solar Sox Glow to Victory

Submitted by Arizona Phil on

Starlin Castro jacked-up his AFL league-leading batting average to .423 as he ripped two singles, knocked-in two runs, and scored one, Josh Vitters tripled and scored, and John Gaub tossed a 1-2-3 7th, leading the Mesa Solar Sox (Cubs, Marlins, Red Sox, Angels, and Twins) to a 7-2 victory over the Peoria Saguaros (Padres, Reds, Indians, Braves, and Astros) in Arizona Fall League action this afternoon at sunny HoHoKam Park in Mesa. 

box score

AFL leading hitter Castro was the Solar Sox DH today and hit 2nd, getting four ABs.

Facing Saguaros starting LHP Mike Minor (Braves 2009 #1 draft pick out of Vanderbilt) with a runner at1st base and no outs in the bottom of the 1st. Castro lined a single to LF on the first pitch he saw, advanced to 2nd uncontested on the back-end of a double-steal, and then scored on a two-out two-run RBI single to CF by Hank Conger (Angels).   

Castro bounced out weakly to the third-baseman in his second PA against Minor in the 3rd, before lacing a two-run RBI single past the SS into left-center off RHP Mike Leake (Reds 2009 #1 draft pick out of Arizona State) with two outs in the 5th. In his final AB of the day, Castro struck out looking to end the 7th, only his 5th K in 55 AFL Plate Appearances.  

Vitters played 3B and hit 6th, grounding out on a first-pitch broken-bat roller to the second baseman his first time up leading- off the 2nd. before popping out to short RF in his 2nd PA the 5th. But the 20-year old really tagged one leading off the bottom of the 7th against Padres RHP Mike DeMark, juicing a laser-liner stand-up triple into the right-centerfield gap that rolled all the way to the fence. He then scored on an error. In his final AB, Vitters flied out to CF.

Vitters had only one chance in the field today, handling a routine grounder without incident, as he back-handed the ball, squared himself, and made a strong & accurate throw to 1st base to nail the batter by two steps. .

LHP John Gaub entered the game in relief in the top of the 7th and was unhittable, striking out Mitch Canham (Padres) swinging and Josh Rodriguez (Indians) looking, before retiring Lance Zawadzki (Padres) on a lazy pop up to the 1st baseman in foul territory. This was certainly Gaub's best AFL outing (so far), as he alternated a 94 MPH heater and filthy breaking ball.

The 24-year old Gaub was one of the three minor league pitchers the Cubs acquired from the Cleveland Indians in the Mark DeRosa trade last-off-season. He figures to get added to the Cubs 40-man roster on 11/20, because otherwise he would be eligible for selection in next month's Rule 5 Draft. .  

And Michael Brenly made his AFL debut this afternoon, entering the game as a defensive replacement at catcher in the top of the 9th. Brenly replaces Welington Castillo (DL retro to 10/23) on the Solar Sox roster.

RHP Andrew Cashner is scheduled to make his 4th AFL start tomorrow, as the Solar Sox travel to Peoria Stadium for a rematch with the Saguaros. 

 

Tags
Josh Vitters
Michael Brenly
Starlin Castro
John Gaub
Arizona Fall League

Comments

Submitted by Cubs Win on Tue, 11/03/2009 - 11:26 am

Phil - After watching Castro, do you think he can be ready to contribute at mid year or do you think 2011 is much more likely? If the hype is real, it seems to me the Cubs brass has to be thinking that they can slide Theriot over to 2B when he is ready. I'm assuming Castro would be an upgrade over Theriot at SS defensively (at least range and arm wise) and personally I would love to have Theriot back at 2B with the ability to slide him over to SS when necessary (or for double switches). Let me know your thoughts on where Castro stands after seeing him in person.

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Tue, 11/03/2009 - 11:21 pm

Submitted by Cubs Win on Tue, 11/03/2009 - 10:26am.

Phil - After watching Castro, do you think he can be ready to contribute at mid year or do you think 2011 is much more likely? If the hype is real, it seems to me the Cubs brass has to be thinking that they can slide Theriot over to 2B when he is ready. I'm assuming Castro would be an upgrade over Theriot at SS defensively (at least range and arm wise) and personally I would love to have Theriot back at 2B with the ability to slide him over to SS when necessary (or for double switches). Let me know your thoughts on where Castro stands after seeing him in person.

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CUBS WIN: I think the Cubs will let Starlin Castro's performance on the field determine when he is ready for the big leagues. That could be sometime in 2010 or 2011.

Castro will certainly get an NRI to Spring Training next March, where Lou Piniella will have an opportunity to evaluate Castro's progress, and where Castro will have a chance to work with Alan Trammell and Ivan DeJesus on his fielding and with new Cubs hittng instructor Rudy Jaramillo on his hitting.

I also would not be too quick to dismiss 2007 4th round pick Darwin Barney (Oregon State), another SS who has rocketed through the Cubs farm system. Barney played in the AFL a year ago and got an NRI to ST this past March, and played well enough at AA Tennessee (hitting 317/368/409) that he got a mid-season promotion to AAA Iowa. While Castro is probably the more-talented of the two (or at least has a higher ceiling), Barney isn't exactly chopped liver. He's a very polished player, a "true" shortstop, and a legitimate MLB prospect.

So Ryan Theriot will have to fend-off competition from both Barney and Castro at some point in the not-too-distant future, and it certainly is possible that Theriot will get moved to 2B if and when Barney or Castro make it to The Show. Or as an arbitration-eligible player who will likely get about $2M for 2010 and perhaps considerably more in 2011, The Riot could get traded sometime next off-season.

Submitted by Hrubes20 on Tue, 11/03/2009 - 11:30 pm

Just wondering what the scoop is on Cashner. I see that he didn't make his scheduled start today, and he has been declared "unable to participate" in the AFL Rising Stars game. Hopefully it isn't an injury. Anybody know of anything?

Submitted by Cubs Win on Tue, 11/03/2009 - 11:59 pm

Phil - Agree....as much as I like Theriot, he turns into a pumpkin when his arbitration number gets too high (or worse, when he is a free agent). It is key for the Cubs to replace players like him with young talent and not overpay for mediocrity. Theriot at $750k is a steal but Theriot at $5MM Year (or more) is not good business. Knowing that Castro (and possibly Barney) is coming up the ladder, what would you do if you were the Cubs brass in looking at SS and 2B options the next 2 years? Would getting a Short term 2B option (O Dog or Adam Kennedy for 1 year) knowing that you can slide over Theriot if Castro forces his way up in 2011 be smart?

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Wed, 11/04/2009 - 11:03 pm

Submitted by The Real Neal on Tue, 11/03/2009 - 7:57pm. I am trying to remember and drawing a blank... what did Sandberg do when he was assisting at spring training? Has that changed a lot over the last couple seasons? It would be nice if we could instill the organization with some of the baserunning, fielding and batting smarts Sandberg used to display.

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REAL NEAL: Before Ryne Sandberg became a Cubs minor league manager in 2008, he was a Spring Training Instructor. As a STI, he worked with the infielders (mostly at 2B, but also at SS and 3B) and did some baserunning instruction with Bob Dernier. I don't recall him doing any hitting instruction on the field, but he may have worked one-on-one in the cages with certain hitters who weren't responding to Gerald Perry or Dave Keller.

As a minor league manager at Minor League Camp, he was very hands-on with his players (Peoria group in 2008 and Tennessee group in 2009), but he did not become involved with the other squads.

BTW, Sandberg is VERY intense and vocal as a manager, while Jody Davis was very laid-back when he was manager at Daytona. That might be one of the reasons Sandberg got promoted to AA manager, while Davis was reassigned to organization catching instructor duties.

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Wed, 11/04/2009 - 11:17 pm

Submitted by Cubs Win on Tue, 11/03/2009 - 3:59pm.
Phil -

Knowing that Castro (and possibly Barney) is coming up the ladder, what would you do if you were the Cubs brass in looking at SS and 2B options the next 2 years? Would getting a Short term 2B option (O Dog or Adam Kennedy for 1 year) knowing that you can slide over Theriot if Castro forces his way up in 2011 be smart?

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CUBS WIN: Given the Cubs tight payroll right now, I can't see them signing or acquiring any middle infielders from outside the organization anytime soon.

I think they are probably a lot more concerned about the pitching staff (Ted Lilly is a FA after next season), and available payroll will probably be moved in that direction.

There also is the problem of Derrek Lee becoming a FA after next season with no replacement ready in the organization. The Cubs need to decide pretty soon whether to re-sign D-Lee.

Also, Aramis Ramirez can be a FA after next season (player option), and that would be a huge hole to fill if he were to leave. Josh Vitters is a third-baseman, but he needs a LOT of work on his defense before he will be ready to play in the big leagues. Marquez Smith will be the 3B at Iowa in 2010, and is a borderline MLB prospect right now, but if he proves he can hit at AAA and can hit some HR, he could become a Top 15 Prospect by this time next year. M. Smith is a better all-around player than Vitters, although Vitters has a much higher ceiling (as a hitter).

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Wed, 11/04/2009 - 11:44 pm

Submitted by Rob G. on Wed, 11/04/2009 - 12:45pm.
you know if Lee wants to take a contract that addresses his aging skillset and likely decline, then I'm all for bringing him back...

since that won't happen, see if they can trade him this offseason or cut bait next year...

Ramirez would be tougher to lose, but he's also on the wrong side of the bell curve.

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ROB G: With no real 1B prospect in the upper levels of the organization pipeline, I strongly suspect the Cubs will re-sign D-Lee to a contract extention past 2010 for the same money he's making now ($13M per year), probably for two years (2011-12) with a third year vesting option based on games played and/or PA.

Recent comments

  • 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

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    I don’t see Tauchman as a weak link in any position. He simply adds his value in a different way.

    I don’t know that we gain much by putting him in the outfield - Happ, Bellinger and Suzuki and Tauchman all field their positions well. If you’re looking for Taucnman’s kind of AB in a particular game I don’t see why it can’t come from DH.

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