Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full), plus four players are on the 60-DAY IL

28 players are on the MLB ACTIVE LIST, plus seven are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors, two are on the 10-DAY IL, and three are on the 15-DAY IL

Last updated 9-22-20239

* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 14
Javier Assad
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Daniel Palencia
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
Marcus Stroman
Jameson Taillon
Keegan Thompson
Hayden Wesneski
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

INFIELDERS: 6
Nico Hoerner
* Miles Mastrobuoni
Christopher Morel
Dansby Swanson
Patrick Wisdom
* Jared Young

OUTFIELDERS: 6
* Cody Bellinger
Alexander Canario
* Pete Crow-Armstrong
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman

OPTIONED: 7
Keven Alcantara, OF
Ben Brown, P
Brennen Davis, OF
Jeremiah Estrada, P
Caleb Kilian, P
* Matt Mervis, 1B
Michael Rucker, P

10-DAY IL: 2
Jeimer Candelario, 1B
Nick Madrigal, INF

15-DAY IL: 3
Adbert Alzolay, P
Brad Boxberger, P
Michael Fulmer, P

60-DAY IL: 4
Nick Burdi, P
Codi Heuer, P
* Brandon Hughes, P
Ethan Roberts, P

Minor League Rosters

Rule 5 Draft
Minor League Free-Agents

Davis and Wellemeyer Show Hendry Their Stuff

With Cubs GM Jim Hendry and Pitching Coach Mark Riggins in attendance, LHP Doug Davis (2010 elbow surgery rehab) threw five innings of two-hit shutout ball (63 pitches – 40 strikes) with no walks and eight strikeouts (four swinging), and a 5/1 GO/FO, but the EXST Angels rallied to score five runs over the last three innings to defeat the EXST Cubs 6-3 in Cactus League Extended Spring Training action at Fitch Park Field #3 this morning in Mesa.

The game was extended an extra couple of innings to allow Cubs and Angels pitchers to get their scheduled work.

Davis retired the first seven men he faced (1-3, K, 4-3, K, K, K, K) before surrendering a single to RF that was misplayed by RF Xavier Batista (the kid broke back when he should have been moving forward). The veteran southpaw then retired another five in a row (P-9, K, 1-3, 4-3, K) before allowing a clean hard-hit double to right-center with one out in the 5th. The runner was subsequently stranded at 2nd base, however, as Davis racked up his 8th strikeout and induced a 6-3 grounder to get out of the inning.

RHP Todd Wellemeyer (sore hip rehab) followed Davis to the mound and was nowhere near as effective, laboring through two of his four innings of work (needing 20 pitches to get out of one inning, and throwing 19 pitches before the inning was stopped with two outs in another) and allowing two runs on four hits (three singles and a double), two walks, and a WP, with five strikeouts, a GIDP, and 4/1 GO/FO, in 3.1 IP (67 pitches - 38 strikes).

Wellemeyer allowed baserunners in all four of his innings, giving up a lead-off single in the top of the 6th (immediately erased by a 6-3 GIDP), before issuing a two-out four-pitch walk and surrendering an RBI double. Welly struck out the side (all three swinging strikes) in the 7th (around a two-out single), and gave up a single and a walk with one out in the 8th, with both runners moving up on a 6-3 GO before the inning was stopped ("ROLL IT!") after Wellemeyer reached his max pitch limit for that inning.

With the Cubs leading 3-1, Wellemeyer's final inning (the top of the 9th) got off to a bad start when the righthander walked the lead-off hitter and threw a WP, although an F-9 fly out and a strikeout (called third strike) folllowed. At this point hard-throwing RHP (ex-3B) Charles Thomas was brought into the game to try and get the final out and the save, but the big righthander allowed a ringing RBI double and two singles (the last one driving-in the tying run) before he could get an out. Thomas gave up the go-ahead run in the 10th (double, WP, HBP, and RBI single before he could retire a hitter), and then LHP Luis Villalba alllowed two runs (one earned) in the extra tacked-on half inning (1B, BB, SH, 1B+E3).

Although Davis clearly had the better outing of the two, he did it against young Angels hitters who were trying to figure out how to hit the off-speed offerings of a veteran and wily MLB lefty. I suspect the Cubs might want Davis to show if he can be as successful facing the more experienced hitters found at AAA before they hand him the keys to the 5th starter's job.

While Davis and Wellemeyer were facing the Angels, Angel Guzman and Jean Sandoval threw a sim game on Field #1 against Cubs position players not in the starting lineup on Field #3.

Here is today’s abridged box score for the EXST game on Field #3 (Cubs players only):

NOTE: To practice his bunting, Doug Davis took two insert AB (first one with no outs and runner at 1st base in the bottom of the 1st inning, and the other one with a runner on 2nd base and no outs in the bottom of the 5th inning)

LINEUP:
X. Doug Davis, P: 0-0 (3-4 SH, 3-4 SH)
1. Jose Valdez, CF: 1-3 (1B, K, F-7 SF, K, R, RBI)
2. Pin-Chieh Chen, 2B-DH: 0-3 (F-7 SF, F-7, P-6, 4-3, RBI)
3. Marco Hernandez, SS: 1-4 (1B, 4-3, 6-3, 1-3)
4a. Chad Noble, C: 1-2 (F-7, 2B, R)
4b. Brian Inoa, C: 0-2 (F-7, 4-3)
5. Wilson Contreras, 3B: 1-4 (5-3, 2B, K, K, RBI)
6. Reggie Golden, DH #1: 0-2 (K, BB, K)
7. Blair Springfield, LF: 0-3 (5-3, K, K)
8. Xavier Batista, RF: 0-2 (5-3, K, BB)
9. Dustin Geiger, 1B: 0-1 (HBP, BB, L-9, R, SB)
10. Dustin Harrington, DH-2B: 0-2 (F-8, 1-3 SH, F-9)

PITCHERS:
1. Doug Davis: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K, 63 pitches (40 strikes), 5/1 GO/FO
2. Todd Wellemeyer: 3.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 5 K, 1 WP, 1 GIDP, 67 pitches (38 strikes), 4/1 GO/FO
NOTE: Wellemeyer’s third inning was stopped with two outs when he reached his max pitch limit for that inning
3. Charles Thomas: 1.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R (2 ER), 0 BB, 1 K, 1 HBP, 2 WP, 1 GIDP, 25 pitches (16 strikes), 2/1 GO/FO
4. Luis Villalba: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 1 K, 27 pitches (20 strikes), 1/1 GO/FO

ERRORS: 1:
1B Dustin Geiger E3 - throwing error allowed runner to score from 3rd base with an unearned run

CATCHERS DEFENSE
1. Chad Noble: 1-1 CS
2. Brian Inoa 0-1 CS

ATTENDANCE: 15

WEATHER: Sunny and breezy with temperatures in the 80’s

Comments

Recent comments

Arizona Phil 09/23/2023 - 09:02 pm (view)

The deadline for trading players on an MLB Reserve List (40-man roster) and players who were outrighted to the minors after signing a 2023 MLB contract was August 1st, but trades involving players on a minor league reserve list are prohibited beginning at 12 PM (Eastern) on the 7th day prior to the originally-scheduled conclusion of the 2023 MLB regular season (Sunday 9/24) through the last day of the MLB regular season (including a day on which a regular season game is played after the originally-scheduled conclusion of the MLB regular season).
Arizona Phil 09/23/2023 - 09:58 pm (view)

jdrnym:

As you know, the abbreviation "DFA" stands for "Designated for Assignment."

There are three types of assignments:

1. Trade Assignment (when a player is traded from one MLB club to another)
2. Outright Assignment (when a player is sent to the club's minor league Domestic Reserve List after Outright Assignment Waivers have been secured).
3. Optional Assignment (when a player is optioned to the minors, subject to being recalled at a later time).

So when a player is Designated for Assignment, the player can either be traded, outrighted to the minors, or optioned to the minors.

Normally a player is not Designated for Assignment and then optioned to the minors, because the club could just option the player to the minors immediately without a DFA.

Back in the day It was not that unusual for a player to be Designated for Assignment so that Optional Assignment Waivers could be secured (Optional Assignment Waivers were required before certain players could be optioned to the minors, and just like the old Trade Assignment Waivers, Optional Assignment Waivers were revocable if a player was claimed). Optional Assignment Waivers were eliminated in 2016 and Trade Assignment Waivers were eliminated in 2021, so all revocable waivers have been eliminated. What's left are Outright Assignment Waivers and Outright Release Waivers, and both are irrevocable once requested.

With the new five option limit whereby a player can (with a couple of exceptions) be optioned to the minors no more than five times in a given season before Outright Assignment Waivers must be secured (and it - IS - Outright Assignment Waivers that must be secured, even though it is for the purpose of an Optional Assignment), it now might be necessary for a club to DFA a player to clear a spot on the MLB 26-man roster (MLB 28-man roster in September) for another player and to allow for the two days (actually 47 hours) required to run a player through waivers. After the two day Waiver Claiming Period concludes (and presuming the player isn't claimed), the player can be returned to the MLB 40-man roster and optioned to the minors (even after being Designated for Assignment). But for that to happen, the player can - NOT - be replaced on the MLB 40-man roster by another player after being Designated for Assignment.

However, in the case of Jordan Luplow, he had - NOT - been optioned to the minors five times in the 2023 season prior to be optioned to AAA St. Paul on 9/18, so the Twins did not need to DFA Luplow in order to secure Outright Assignment Waivers so that he could be optioned to the minors a sixth time. But because he was Designated for Assignment and not replaced on the 40 by another player after the DFA, the Twins could option him to the minors (and return him to the 40) even after he was Designated for Assignment, because an Optional Assignment is one of the three types of assignments.

So Luplow was Designated for Assignment even though he didn't need to be, and then the Twins returned him to their MLB 40-man roster and optioned him to the minors a couple of days later (which they can do, since Luplow wasn't replaced on the 40 by another player after he was Designated for Assignment). What the Twins did (DFA Luplow and then option him to the minors a couple of days later) was within the rules. It's just very odd and doesn't make a lot of sense.

So I will offer the most logical reason I can think of to explain why the Twins did this:

The Twins DFA'd Luplow because they intended to reinstate Chris Paddack from the 60-day IL, but then Carlos Correa suddenly needed to go on the 10-day IL and so they decided they wanted to keep Luplow on the 40-man roster (and on Optional Assignment to AAA) and didn't want to risk losing him off waivers or by him electing free-agency after being outrighted. Luplow has Article XX-D rights (he has been outrighted to the minors previously in his career), so he would had the right to elect free-agency after he was outrighted. There was also the possibility that he would have been claimed of waivers, and obviously the Twins felt they might need his RH bat after losing Correa and with Royce Lewis having left a game with a hamstring injury that led to an IL assignment.

Also, if Luplow was outrighted instead of being optioned, he would no longer be automatically eligible to play in the post-season (except as a possible injury replacement).

Not only did Carlos Correa go on the IL, Royce Lewis went on the IL, too, two days after Correa went on the IL and two days after Luplow was optioned to AAA, so the Twins did in fact end up needing Luplow after all, and recalled him just a couple of days after he was optioned to replace Lewis on the MLB 28-man roster.

So that all I've got. That is the only thing that makes sense. The Twins DFA'd Luplow because they had intended to replace him on the 40 with another player (probably Paddack) and hoped that they would be able to run him through waivers and that he wouldn't get claimed and that he would accept an Outright Assignment, but then they suddenly changed their minds because of the injury to Correa and the possibility that Lewis might also have to go on the IL (which did, in fact, happen the next day).

So the Twins were able to return Luplow to the 40 because he hadn't been replaced on the 40 by another player after he was Designated for Assignment, then they optioned him to St. Paul, and then they recalled him after Royce Lewis was placed on the 10-day IL (the minimum 10-day optional assignment being waived because Luplow replaced a player (Royce Lewis) who was placed on an MLB IL.
crunch 09/23/2023 - 09:00 pm (view)

CIN out here blowing a 9-0 lead they built through 3 innings. 9-9 tie in the 7th.
crunch 09/23/2023 - 09:05 pm (view)

boxburger 10d IL, k.thompson back up. it's his right forearm (again).
crunch 09/23/2023 - 09:12 pm (view)

merryweather got out of it, but he loaded the bases with 1 out. of course ross got cuas up in the pen...thankfully he didn't need to come in.

looks like cuas gets the 9th.
crunch 09/23/2023 - 09:46 pm (view)

4ip 2h 0bb 6k, 49 pitches. no idea why they're giving the pen the last 2 innings when he's out there dealing like this and only threw 49 pitches. he was supposed to pitch tomorrow and he's fresh.
crunch 09/23/2023 - 09:52 pm (view)

...and assad is now a pen arm, evidently...odd move given recent success. i guess wicks starts tomorrow?
crunch 09/22/2023 - 09:16 pm (view)

ARZ, MIA, and CIN all lose. nice.
crunch 09/22/2023 - 09:54 pm (view)

stroman is now the saturday starter...okay, then.
jdrnym 09/22/2023 - 09:52 pm (view)

Phil,

Jordan Luplow was DFA'd by the Twins on Monday and was ultimately optioned and then recalled today. I didn't think that was possible since optional waivers were eliminated years ago. How did that work for the Twins?