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

Diamondbacks Rally Twice to Thwart Cubs at Talking Stick

Junior Lake doubled, walked and scored two runs, Jose Morales singled twice, walked, and scored two runs, and Carlos Penalver stroked a two-run double and a single and scored a run, but one squad of Diamondbacks ralliied to score four runs with two outs in the bottom of the 9th to tie one squad of Cubs 7-7 on Quail Field, and RHP Alexander Santana retired the first nine men he faced, Francisco Sanchez singled twice, knocked-in a run, and scored another, and Mark Malave singled twice and walked, but the other squad of D'backs rallied to score one run in the 7th to tie the game and three more in the 8th to take the lead, defeating the Cubs 5-2 on Whirlwind Field, in a Cactus League Extended Spring Training doubleheader played this morning at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick Resort east of Scottsdale, AZ.

Junior Lake (fractured rib cage rehab) played CF for six innings and batted four times (once every-other inning), going 1-3. He bounced out 5-3 in the 1st inning, drew a walk and scored a run on the Carlos Penalver RBI double in the 3rd, belted a double (his 6th two-bagger in his last three games) into the left-centerield alley with two outs in the 5th, and bounced into a 5-2 FC with a runner at 3rd base and one out in the top of the 7th, before scoring on a Yasiel Balaguert RBI triple. 

In EXST Cubs roster news, C-1B-3B Steve Clevenger has completed the Extended Spring Training portion of his rehab, and has been moved-up to AAA Iowa.

Clevenger was placed on the Cubs MLB 60-day DL with a strained oblique on April 14th, and will not be eligible to be reinstated until June 13th.  

In eight Cactus League Extended Spring Training games (34 PA), Clevenger hit 355/412/516, with five doubles and seven RBI, and 3/2 BB/K.  

Here are the abridged box scores from today's games (Cubs players only):



QUAIL FIELD

CUBS SQUAD "A" LINEUP:
X. Junior Lake, CF: 1-3 (5-3, BB, 2B, 5-2 FC, 2 R)
NOTE: Lake batted four times, hitting third in the top of the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th innings
1. Carlos Penalver, SS: 2-5 (1B, 2B, 6-3, 6-4 FC, 5-4 FC, R, RBI)
2. Jacob Rogers, 1B: 1-5 (K, 1B, F-8, K, 5-3, RBI) 
3. Xavier Batista, DH #1: 1-5 (F-7, 6-4 FC, K, 3B, K)
4. Yasiel Balaguert, RF: 1-4 (F-8, L-7, F-9, 3B, RBI)
5. Jesse Hodges, 3B: 1-4 (L-6, 6-3, 2B, L-3, R)
6. Jose Morales, C-DH: 2-3 (L-9, 1B, BB, 1B, 2 R) 
7. Danny Lockhart, 2B: 2-4 (L-9, 1B, 1B, F-8, R)
8. Dong-Yub Kim, LF: 1-4 (6-3, 1B, 5-4 FC, K, 3 RBI)
9a. SLOT WAS SKIPPED FIRST THREE TIMES THRU BATTING ORDER
9b. Rony Rodriguez, C: 0-1 (F-7)
10a. SLOT WAS SKIPPED FIRST THREE TIMES THRU BATTING ORDER
10b. Shawon Dunston Jr, CF: 1-1 (1B)

CUBS SQUAD "A" PITCHERS
1. Loiger Padron: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 2 K, 47 pitches (32 strikes), 3/4 GO/FO
2. Juan Francisco: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R (2 ER), 3 BB, 2 K, 1 WP, 1 GIDP, 36 pitches (16 strikes), 3/1 GO/FO
3. Chad Martin: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 1 WP, 27 pitches (20 strikes), 2/2 GO/FO
4. Jorge Diaz: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 4 R (4 ER), 3 BB, 0 K, 2 WP, 25 pitches (10 strikes), 0/3 GO/FO

CUBS SQUAD "A" ERRORS: NONE

WHIRLWIND FIELD

CUBS SQUAD "B" LINEUP:
1. Kevin Encarnacion, RF: 0-4 (P-5, F-7, 5-3, BB, P-2, CS)
2a. Garrett Schlecht, LF: 0-3 (1-3, K, K)
2b. Jose Dore, LF: 1-2 (1B, K)
3. Jeffrey Baez, CF: 1-4 (K, K, K, 1B)
4. Trevor Gretzky, 1B; 2-4 (K, 1B, F-8, 1B, PO)
5. Brad Zapenas, 2B: 1-4 (3B, 6-4 FC, 6-3, K, R)
6. Francisco Sanchez, SS: 2-4 (1B, 1B, K, F-8, R, RBI)
7. Mark Malave, 3B: 2-3 (1B, F-8, 1B, BB)
8. Neftali Rosario, C: 1-3 (BB, K, 2B, 6-4-3 DP)
9. Rashad Crawford, DH: 0-2 (F-7 SF, BB, K, K, RBI) 
 
CUBS SQUAD "B" PITCHERS:
1. Alexander Santana: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 0 K, 32 pitches (23 strikes), 8/4 GO/FO
2. Jasvir Rakkar: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 1 WP, 15 pitches (12 strikes), 2/4 GO/FO 
3. David Villegas: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R (4 ER), 2 BB, 0 K, 1 HR, 32 pitches (19 strikes), 4/1 GO/FO 
4. Luis Villalba: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 12 pitches (7 strikes), 3/1 GO/FO

CUBS SQUAD "B" ERRORS: NONE

ATTENDANCE: 19

WEATHER: Sunny with temperatures 100+  

Comments

Baseball Prospectus' "Monday Morning 10 Pack"...
Javier Baez, SS, Cubs (High-A Daytona) Of all the prospects in the minors, Baez’s status might have the most volatility, with the skill set to blossom into a superstar and the deficiencies that could terminate the dream before it begins. With elite bat speed and the type of raw power that can find a home in the middle of any major-league lineup, Baez could end up as the top prospect in the game. But his one-speed-fits-all approach on both sides of the ball can be limiting: His aggressive, see-ball-hit-ball mentality at the plate often puts him behind in counts and vulnerable to offerings out of the zone, and his tendency to rush the actions and the throws makes him error prone despite his exquisite hands at shortstop. Baez is warming up and is a good candidate to explode this summer, with a chance to sneak into the top 10 prospects in the game. But the Double-A test is looming on the horizon, and without more nuance to his game and a more refined approach, Baez could take a big step back against better competition. The talent is extreme. The risk is just as extreme.
—Jason Parks http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=20800

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

interesting article in the new york times on Cabrera - they talked about how when he was young they sort of just just left him alone when he struggled a little in the minors - which he didn't do much of - because the idea was that hitters need to learn how to handle how to handle pitchers who learn how to strike them out. I, of course, have no idea what the best approach is. I do know that the prior Cubs leadership couldn't build a farm system if it had been handed to them.

Former major leaguer Milton Bradley faces more than seven years in jail after being found guilty on Monday on nine counts of abusing his estranged wife. Bradley was found guilty of four counts of spousal battery, two counts of criminal threats, one count of assault with a deadly weapon, one count of vandalism and one count of brandishing a deadly weapon, the Los Angeles Times reported. http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ex-major-leaguer-milton-bradley-023025607-…

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    yeah, for me this isn't about who's better at 3rd.  it's madrigal, period.  for me it's about who's not hitting in the lineup because madrigal is in the lineup.

    occasional play at 3rd for madrigal, okay.  going with the steele/ground-ball matchup...meh, but okay, whatever.

    seeing madrigal get significant starting time...no thanks.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Yeah I am very disappointed Madrigal is starting. He has no business as a starter. He is AAA insurance, a back up at best. Sure his defense looks fine because he plays far enough in that his noodle arm isn’t totally exposed. It comes at the cost of 3B range.

    He’s garbage, and a team serious about winning would NOT have him starting opening day.

  • crunch (view)

    in other news, it took 3 PA before a.rizzo got his 1st HBP of the season.

  • Eric S (view)

    With two home runs (so far) and 5 rbi today … clearly Nick Martini is the straw that stirs the Reds drink 😳

  • crunch (view)

    madrigal at 3rd...morel at DH.

    making room for madrigal or/and masterboney to get a significant amount of ABs is a misuse of the roster.  if it needed to get taken care of this offseason, they had tons of time to figure that out.

    morel played almost exclusively at 3rd in winter ball and they had him almost exclusively there all spring when he wasn't DH'ing.

    madrigal doing a good job with the glove for a bit over 2 chances per game...is that worth more than what he brings with the bat 4-5 PA a game?  it's 2024 and we got glenn beckert 2.0 manning 3rd base.

    this is a tauchman or cooper DH situation based on bat, alone.  cooper is 3/7 with a double off eovaldi if you want to play the most successful matchup.

    anyway, i hope this is a temporary thing, not business as usual for the rest of the season.  it will be telling if morel is not used at 3rd when an extreme fly ball pitcher like imanaga is on the mound.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    There are two clear "logjams" in the Cubs minor league pipeline at the present time, namely AA outfielders (K. Alcantara, C. Franklin, Roederer, Pagan, Pinango, Beesley, and Nwogu) and Hi-A infielders (J. Rojas, P. Ramirez, Howard, R. Morel, Pertuz, R. Garcia, and Spence, although Morel has been getting a lot of reps in the outfield in addition to infield). So it is possible that you might see a trade involving one of the extra outfielders at AA and/or one of the extra infielders at Hi-A in the next few days. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    18-year old SS Jefferson Rojas almost made the AA Tennessee Opening Day roster, and he is a legit shortstop, so I would expect him to be an MLB Top 100 prospect by mid-season. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Among the relievers in the system, I expect RHRP Hunter Bigge at AAA Iowa and RHRP Ty Johnson at South Bend to have breakout seasons on 2024, and among the starters I see LHP Drew Gray and RHP Will Sanders at South Bend and RHP Naz Mule at ACL Cubs as the guys who will make the biggest splash. Also, Jaxon Wiggins is throwing bullpen sides, so once he is ready for game action he could be making an impact at Myrtle Beach by June.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    I expect OF Christian Franklin to have a breakout season at AA Tennessee in 2024. In another organization that doesn't have PCA, Caissie, K. Alcantara, and Canario in their system, C. Franklin would be a Top 10 prospect. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    The Reds trading Joe Boyle for Sam Moll at last year's MLB Trade Deadline was like the Phillies trading Ben Brown to the Cubs for David Robertson at the MLB TD in 2022.