Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full), plus one player is 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 3-28-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 13
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

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

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Cody Bellinger 
# 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 

10-DAY IL: 1 
Patrick Wisdom, INF 

15-DAY IL: 1 
Jameson Taillon, P 

60-DAY IL: 1 
Caleb Kilian, P 

 



 

Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

You Are Now Free to Vomit: Cubs End Homestand with Loss to (Gulp!) Astros

The Cubs squandered another superb start, this one by Ryan Dempster, and lost 3-2 to the Astros in 10 innings Sunday afternoon. To make matters worse, the bullpen culprits on this day were the Cubs' two relief studs so far this young season, Carlos Marmol, who surrendered the tying run in the 9th, and Sean Marshall, who took the loss after allowing a double by Jason Michaels and a sacrifice fly by Pedro Feliz in the 10th. To make matters worser, the the now 5-7 Cubs wound up dropping two of the three games to Houston, thus ending the season's first homestand at 3-3. To make matters even worser, the Astros really, truly suck.

In the aftermath of the loss, Lou Piniella announced that Marlon Byrd, who had three hits and both Cub RBI Sunday, would henceforth be leading off against lefthanders with Jeff Baker moving up to the second spot and Ryan Theriot sliding down to eighth. (Byrd has actually hit leadoff or sixth more often than in any other spot in the lineup throughout his career.)

Young lefty Jon Niese is supposed to start for the Mets when the Cubs begin a four-game visit to Citi Field on Monday night, so Lou's new lineup will get its first go right away. Randy Wells is scheduled to start for the Cubs.

Comments

Harold Ramis was in the booth for the 7th with Len and Bob. He said something to the effect of "the Cubs have got this one." I laughed out loud at that. Has he never seen a Cubs game before? If I didn't think they were probably going to blow it anyway, I would say he jinxed it.

Why did Hill take Soto's place late in the game? Soto was 2-3 and has been hitting well lately. Was Soto hurt? I see Hill came up with a runner in scoring position and two outs ninth. That just seems strange to me. Is Hill that much of a defensive game changer?

The last I saw Castro was doing pretty well. I am pretty sure 95% of the intelligent viewing public will disagree with me but I say bring up the kid just to add some electricity to the lineup. Anyone who wears that much jewelry probably isn't gonna lose much in the way of confidence no matter what happens.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

Castro is off to a good start: Average in the .350s, OPS over .900. I wouldn't mind seeing a Robinson Chirinos appearance at some point. He's off to a good start, and it looks like the HR power was not a complete fluke--he's got 3 in 29 ABs for AA, and he can play C as well as all over the infield. I don't know whose spot I'd give him--probably one of our reliever's. But neither guy is a middle of the lineup hitter (Chirinos is just a bench player, actually), the place where the Cubs are really struggling. Soriano and Ramirez are not producing the way the Cubs need them to, and the rest of the lineup really isn't playing over their heads enough (or at all *cough* Theriot) to make up for it. The Cubs need Ramirez and Soriano to produce near their career averages in order for this team to at least stay in the playoff picture. It's no secret that the Cubs can't skate by on pitching and defense.

I was in the car yesterday for 9th inning, when Marmol blew the save. Santo kept muttering "Makes you wonder, makes you wonder." Please get him out of the booth. In fact if the Ricketts want this to be "year one" ban all 1969 Cub players from the park. They all combined do not have the playoff experience of Ryan Theriot but they reminisce like they were the 1927 Yankees. Here's your statue, go home.

[ ]

In reply to by Andrew

Milton Bradley on the roster, that automatically precludes me from being a fan... but in all seriousness: Here's my formula. You start with a field of guys that play good defense. You don't need guys that hit 300, just players that will defend their position and do the fundamentals well: work counts, lay down bunts, make contact with the ball. Next, you get some starting pitchers that go out there and keep you in the game. They don't have to be flashy, just able to keep you in the game a large majority of their outings. Wells, Dempster, Lilly, all perfect. Then you find two guys that can mash. They hit 3 & 4. (This is the piece the M's do not have). It sounds reductionist, but the more I watch the game and the older I get, the more I think the formula is really this simple and that batting average is a bunch of bologna. It's worth noting that I've basically just described the St. Louis Cardinals. In fact, I believe one of the great fallacies in the baseball world is that without Pujols the Cardinals would be lost. It's not true at all. They actually have a good, somewhat non-flashy team.

i am soooo w/ cubnut re: the stretch singers & the interviews that go w/ them...such things in combination w/ a poor team approach intolerability; we are already @ the point where much of my fan-ness is essentially addictive behavior being repeated out of unbreakable habit...suffer the worst damned winter on record & 2 weeks in you're sick of the commercials, the team, the tired 7th inning act, the pat & ron shtick, the insufferable dave otto fill-ins...better stop; beginning to read like a suicide note...

I don't understand the need to carry so many pitchers when they cannot be used! Yesterday's use of Marmol is a perfect example of wasted space on the roster. Clear out the useless "junk" and add a bench player to pinch-hit and play the field. A third catcher would be great.

Pagan cf, Castillo 2b, Wright 3b, Bay lf, Francoeur rf, #29 Ike Davis 1b, Barajas c, Cora 2b, Niese P vs. CF Byrd, 2B Baker, 1B Lee, RF Nady, 3B Ramirez, LF Soriano, C Soto, SS Theriot, P Wells

Count Cubs manager Lou Piniella among those delighted that Alfonso Soriano has promised to give up his patented "hop" while making catches in left field. In fact, Piniella and others in the dugout had been requesting it for some time. "All it can do is make your head bob and your eyes move and the ball flutter," Piniella, a former outfielder, said before Sunday's game. "It's like catching a knuckleball. So if you can keep stable and catch it conventionally, I think it will help him." ------------- Ummm...uh...hmmm. Okay. At least everyone got together and decided it's about time Soriano did something that would help him play the game better...when he felt like it. How many 3-4m dollar managers does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

[ ]

In reply to by Ryno

Ditto. Except that playing a starting pitcher in LF while you have position players pitching is just plain dumb. Also, RE: Posnaski: And even now, he HAS to use the most pinch-hitters, and he HAS to change around his lineup, and he HAS to use a lot of relievers, and he HAS to move runners, and he HAS to sacrifice. It's his nature. He has to attack the game before it attacks him. Why? I think it's because he knows the limitations of the job. And he can't help but rage against them. I think it's because he has a massive f***ing ego that he has to feed by pretending he has more of a say in the outcome of the game than he does. But then, I don't like him. It's sort of a half full half full of shit situation.

Recent comments

  • hellfrozeover (view)

    I would say also in the bright side column is Busch looked pretty good overall at the plate. Alzolay…man, that hurts but most of the time he’s not giving up a homer to that guy. To me the worst was almonte hanging that pitch to Garcia. He hung another one to the next hitter too and got away with it on an 0-1. 

  • crunch (view)

    amaya blocked like 6-8 of smyly's pitches in the dirt very cleanly...not even an exaggeration, smyly threw a ton of pitches bouncing in tonight.

    neris looking like his old self was a relief (no pun), too.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    In looking for bright spots the defense was outstanding tonight. The “stars” are going to need to shine quite a bit brighter than they did tonight offensively though for this to be a successful season.

  • Eric S (view)

    Good baseball game. Hopefully Steele is pitching again in April (but I’m not counting on it). 

  • crunch (view)

    boo.

  • crunch (view)

    smyly to face the 2/3/4 hitters with a man on 2nd in extras.

    this doesn't seem like a 8 million dollar managerial decision.

  • crunch (view)

    i 100% agree with you, but i dunno how jed wants to run things.  the default is delay.  i would choose brown.

    like hellfrozeover says, could be smyly since he's technically fresh and stretched.

    anyway, on a pure talent basis....brown is the best option.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Use pitchers when you believe they're good. Don't plan their clock.

    I'm sorry. I'm simply anti-clock/contract management. Play guys when they show real MLB potential talent.

    If Brown hadn't been hurt with the Lat Strain he would've gotten the call, and not Wick.

    Give him a chance. 

    But Wesneski probably gets it

  • crunch (view)

    alzolay...bro...

  • crunch (view)

    wow.  what a blown call.  go cubs, i guess.