Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
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, ten players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors, two players are on the 15-DAY IL, and two players are on the 10-DAY IL

Last updated 4-17-2024
 
* 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
Keegan Thompson
Hayden Wesneski 
* 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: 10 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Jose Cuas, P 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Luke Little, P 
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 

10-DAY IL: 2 
Seiya Suzuki, OF
Patrick Wisdom, INF 

15-DAY IL: 2
* Justin Steele, P  
Jameson Taillon, P 

60-DAY IL: 2 
Caleb Kilian, P 
Julian Merryweather, P
 





Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Lake Takes the Plunge at Riverview Park

Junior Lake collected five hits (four singles and a double), stole two bases, and scored two runs, Welington Castillo reached base four times on three walks and a single, and Dustin Geiger singled twice, doubled, and drove-in four runs, in Cactus League Minor League action this afternoon at the Under Armour Performance Center at Riverview Park in Mesa, AZ.  

The Tennessee Smokies (Cubs AA affliate) hammered the Chattanooga Lookouts (Dodgers AA affiliate) 10-4 on Field #3, while the Albuquerque Isotopes (LAD AAA affiliate) edged the Iowa Cubs 4-3 on Field #6.

Lake and Castillo moved back & forth between the two fields, each working as an extra DH and taking an AB whenever the opportunity arose. Lake managed eight Plate Appearances between the two games, and Castillo had six.

Cubs #1 pitching prospect RHP C. J. Edwards got the start for Tennessee on Field #3, and he allowed one run on three hits (two singles and a double) and a walk, with five strikeouts and a 6/0 GO/FO in 3.2 IP (67 pitches).

Recently returned from the Arizona Diamondbacks (who had selected him the Major League Phase of the December 2013 Rule 5 Draft), RHRP Marcos Mateo threw a dominating 9th inning on Field #3 (two strikeouts and a broken bat 5-3 GO) to seal the victory for the Smokies. 

LHP Eric Jokisch got the start for the I-Cubs, and allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits (a single and a double) and four walks in 5.2 IP (78 pitches). He also struck out seven and induced two DP grounders along the way, using his quality off-speed stuff to keep Isoptope hitters off-balance. Albuquerque plated their two runs off Jokisch on a bases-loaded walk and a two-out RBI double.  

Carlos Pimentel "piggy-backed" with Jokisch and worked 3.1 IP, allowing two runs (both earned) on four hits (three singles and a triple) and two walks. He struck out four, with a 2/4 GO/FO.  

Kris Bryant went 0-3 for Tennessee, striking out (swinging) his first two times up, and then popping out to the first-baseman in foul territory in his final AB.  

Arismendy Alcantara played SS and batted 3rd for Iowa, and he struck out all three times up, first two times swinging, and last time looking. 

Though assigned to the Tennessee squad, Dan Vogelbach was the Iowa DH, and he went 0-3 in the game, grounding into a 4-6-3 DP and then striking out twice (both times swinging). 

Here are the abridged box scores from the two games (Cubs players only):

FIELD #3

TENNESSEE LINEUP:
X-1 Junior Lake, DH #1: 2-2 (1B, 1B, R, SB)
NOTE: Lake hit lead-off in the bottom of the 1st and 2nd innings
X-2 Welington Castillo, DH #2: 1-2 (BB, 1B, F-8, BB, 2 R)
NOTE: W. Castillo hit 2nd in the bottom of the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th innings  
1. Zeke Devoss, CF: 1-4 (2B, K, K, 4-3, R)
2. Stephen Bruno, DH #3: 1-4 (1B, F-8, K, E-9, 2 R, RBI, SB)
3a. Kris Bryant, 3B: 0-3 (K, K, P-3)  
3b. Jesse Hodges, 3B: 1-1 (1B, R, RBI)
4. Dustin Geiger, 1B: 3-4 (1B, 1B, K, 2B, 2 R, 4 RBI)
5. Jeudy Valdez, 2B: 0-2 (BB, 5-3, BB, F-7, R)
6. Walter Ibarra, SS: 2-4 (K, 1B, 6-3, 3B, 2 RBI, CS)
7a. Chadd Krist, C: 0-2 (K, K)
7b. Lance Rymel, C: 1-2 (2B, K, RBI)
8. Bijan Rademacher, RF: 2-3 (1B, 1B, F-8)
9. Pin-Chieh Chen, LF: 0-3 (K, F-7, K)

TENNESSEE PITCHERS:
1. C. J. Edwards: 3.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 5 K, 6/0 GO/FO, 67 pitches (46 strikes)
2. Jeff Lorick: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R (3 ER), 1 BB, 3 K, 1/0 GO/FO, 30 pitches (20 strikes)
3. Tony Zych: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 1 WP, 1/0 GO/FO, 12 pitches (9 strikes)
4. Al Yevoli: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 HBP, 1/1 GO/FO, 36 pitches (23 strikes)
5. Marcos Mateo: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 1/0 GO/FO, 14 pitches (11 strikes)

TENNESSEE ERRORS: 1
SS Walter Ibarra - E-6 (fielding error allowed batter to reach base safely)

TENNESSEE CATCHERS DEFENSE:
Chadd Krist: 0-1 CS

FIELD #6

IOWA LINEUP:
X-1. Welington Castillo, DH #1: 0-2 (K, 6-3, BB)
NOTE: W. Castillo hit 2nd in the bottom of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd innings
X-2. Junior Lake, DH #2: 3-6 (1B, K, K, F-8, 2B, 1B, R, SB)
NOTE: Lake hit lead-off in the bottom of the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th innings
1. Matt Szczur, LF: 1-3 (1B, F-8, P-3, CS)
2. Logan Watkins, 2B: 0-2 (K, 3-U, BB)
3. Arismendy Alcantara, SS: 0-3 (K, K, K)
4. Jonathan Mota, 3B: 1-2 (6-3, 1B, BB, R, SB)
5. Rubi Silva, RF: 0-3 (4-1, K, K)
6. Dan Vogelbach, DH #3: 0-3 (4-6-3 DP, K, K)
7. John Andreoli, CF: 1-3 (K, K, 2B, R, RBI)
8. Lars Anderson, 1B: 1-3 (P-4, P-2, 1B, 2 RBI)
9a. Rafael Lopez, C: 0-1 (F-7)
9b. Luis Flores, C: 0-1 (BB, P-3) 

IOWA PITCHERS:
1. Eric Jokisch: 5.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R (1 ER), 4 BB, 7 K, 1 WP, 2 GIDP, 7/3 GO/FO, 78 pitches (47 strikes)
2. Carlos Pimentel: 3.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 4 K, 1 WP, 2/4 GO/FO, 53 pitches (36 strikes)

IOWA ERRORS: 3
1. 3B Jonathon Mota - E-5 (fielding error allowede batterto reach base safely)
2. 2B Logan Watkins - E-4 (fielding error allowed batter to reeach base safely)
3. C Luis Flores - E-2 (overthrow on SB attempt at 2nd base allowed baserunner to advance to 3rd)

IOWA CATCHERS DEFENSE:
1. Rafael Lopez: 0-1 CS
2. Luis Flores: 0-1 CS, 1 E (see above)  

ATTENDANCE: 76

WEATHER: Sunny with temperatures in the 80's

 

 

 


 

 

Comments

veras walks dj lemahieu...stolen base...stolen base...balked home. classic cubbery. he did get 2 Ks and a groundout aside from that, though.

ArizonaPhil - you said that Mateo had the right to elect free agency if he is returned to the Cubs. Has he declined that election, or can he do it any time before the season starts?

[ ]

In reply to by DavidP

DAVID P: Because he has been outerighted previously in his career, Marcos Mateo is an Article XX-D player, meaning he has the right to elect free-agency if outrighted to the minors.

So after he was returned (outrighted) to Iowa by Arizona, Marcos Mateo had three days to either elect free-agency or accept the Outright Assignment and defer free-agency until the conclusion of the MLB regular season. Since he was returned on 3/12, the election period has expired, and he cannot elect to be a free-agent at this time. .

If he had elected to be an Article XX-D free-agent after being outrighted, his contract would have been terminated and he would have received no termination pay. But because he accepted the Outright Assignment, he receives his 2014 salary at Iowa (presumably the MLB minimum minor league "split" salary of $80,000). He will then be able to elect free-agency beginning on the day after the conclusion of the 2014 MLB regular season up through October 15th, UNLESS he is added back to an MLB 40-man roster prior to the conclusion of the 2014 regular season, in which case he does not have the right to elect free-agency.

Baez HR, then doesn't give way on a pop-up despite being called off by LF, down for awhile but staying in game. Looked like left wrist was hurting

Olt pinch hits with runners on corners down a run. Fouled off a couple hittable pitches but works the walk and doesn't chase any bad pitches. Nice AB.

Valaika grounds to shortstop who dives but throws away the force out and go ahead run scores.

Iglesias done for season, make it happen Theo. Hard to imagine they wouldn't be more interested in Franklin or Gregorius, but you never know.

Daniel Vogelbach breaking news now!!!

Indicating that Trevor Gretkzy is headed to Angels

Daniel Vogelbach @Flowbro3

Good luck to my boy @TrevorGretzky with the angels. Not going to be the same without u my man, gonna miss you for sure.

Hottovy sent down...44 left.

Be very interesting if Olt and Baez make team, what bench will look like? Do they dump 2 of Murphy, Valbuena, Bonifacio and go with Barney as back-up?

Castillo, Kottares, Rizzo, Baez, Castro, Olt, Lake, Sweeney, Schierholtz, Barney, Ruggiano, (2 of) Bonifacio, Murphy, Valbuena or Kalish

I don't think Baez would make team without Barney trade or Castro disabled list stint, but it sure seems possible at this point. I'd pay attention to that lineup at least.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

gretz can go play high A ball in socal (inland empire)...only reason i can think of. it sure as hell seems like a player convenience trade rather than a talent swap. m.scioscia will be lucky to still be in baseball on any level by the end of the year given his performance so far...especially factoring in his age vs competition showing.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob Richardson

thanks. hope he gets enough time this spring to show he's worth giving an enhanced role at 3rd. given that 2014 is a punt year it probably doesn't matter that much, but there's a 3rd base logjam going on with the kids and it would be convenient if olt can step up and play on the MLB roster.

FOX Sports' Jon Morosi reports that the Marlins are shopping starting pitcher Jacob Turner.

The Marlins have starting pitching depth and long-term needs at second base and first base

Turner (23 years old/#22 prospect in baseball before 2012) for Alcantara/Vogelbach crossed my mind until I looked at Turner's dwindling K rates the last 2 years.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

he's gone from throwing 95-98mph to 90-93mph since being drafted. he dropped off big time in 2012, throwing a lot of stuff closer to 90 than 93. he's still a promising pitcher, but he doesn't have the buzz on his name he used to have.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

barring injury or weirdness it's a sure thing rondon will go in picks 1-3 (most likely first...btw, HOU scouts have been at some of his NCSU games). beede...kolek...nola...also top guys i wouldn't mind seeing the cubs jump on if they make it to 4th. i still don't understand the obsession some have with jeff hoffman, but it looks like his stock is dropping anyway...which beede's stock has been rising. outside of rondon, beede, kolek, and nola i'm not really stoked or knowledgeable about anyone else, though. that said, if they want at least one of them they pretty much can...dunno what their game plan is, though it seems it will probably be a pitcher with enough top pitching talent available. as an aside...seeing as he won't be draft eligable for another 2 years...NCSU has a 3rd baseman freshman named andrew knizner who's ungodly good with a bat and his power should develop with age/experience. hell of a highschool player and continuing it into college without pause.

Recent comments

  • Bill (view)

    A good rule of thumb is that if you trade a near-ready high ceiling prospect, you should get at least two far-away high ceiling prospects in return.  Like all rules-of-thumb, it depends upon the specific circumstances, but certainly, we weren't going to get Busch for either prospect alone.

  • Sonicwind75 (view)

    Right on schedule, just read an article in Baseball America entitled "10 MLB Prospects Outside The Top 100 Who Have Our Attention".  Zyhir Hope was one of the prospects featured. It stated that he's "one of the biggest arrow-up sleeper prospects in the lower levels right now."

     

    Not sharing to be negative about the trade, getting a top 100 prospect who is MLB ready should carry a heavy prospect cost.  But man, Dodger sure are good at identifying and developing young talent. Andrew Friedman seems to have successfully merged Ray's development with Yankees financial might to create a juggernaut of an organization.  

  • Sonicwind75 (view)

    I suspect Brown will spend some time in the bullpen due to inning restrictions.  Pitched only 93 innings last year and career high is 104 innings in 2022.  I would expect them to be cautious with a young player with his injury history.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    I wanted Almonte gone last week, but that was before Merryweather went down and Little got demoted. Almonte in his last 5 appearances has gone 4.1 IP with no ER or Runs. NO hits, 3 BBs and 8 SO. He did hit 96 with his 2S FB in AZ on Tues.
    I don't see Jed waiving him when we have injuries all over and guys with options that can be sent down.
    I probably won't like the move Jed makes, but he can't play the "let's hope no one wants his 1.7mil remaining deal and we can hide him in Iowa" card.
    That's why I think the current Bullpen stays as is and Wicks goes to Iowa.
    I don't like that, but that's the fix I see.
    We'll find out soon enough!!!

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Teheran minor league deal is done, per MLB.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Based on Phil’s sound analysis it sounds like a no brainer for Almonte to be placed on waivers as today’s roster move. We shall see.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    I suspect Counsell/Hottovy will use the piggy-back extensively, with Taillon and Hendricks pitching as the "pig" (and with a very short leash) and some combo of Wicks, Brown, and Wesneski (whichever two do not start) as the "backers."  

    Keep in mind that Keegan Thompson has a minor league option available, and if Yency Almonte is not outrighted by 4/26 he cannot be sent to the minors without his consent after that date. Almonte is out of minor league options, so I am talking about him getting outrighted to the minors if he is not claimed off waivers, and if he is claimed off waivers, the Cubs save the pro-rated portion of his $1.9M salary, which helps lower the Cubs 2024 AAV.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Totally agree. The 26 man roster very rarely consists of the 13 best position players and 13 best pitchers.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Based on what Jed has done in the past, I’d say the plan is to

    -give Hendricks another few starts
    -give Taillon some runway ot get his season underway

    -Mix and match in the bullpen and see what sticks

    Jed usually doesn’t do a whole lot of waiver wire plays in-season, at least early in the season. He only reallly did that after he blew up the rosters in 21 and 22 because they needed bodies (guys like Schwindel, Fargas, etc).

    I think he’s a little handcuffed by a full 40 man in that he can’t really maneuver much with giving anyone showing ability at AAA (R Thompson/ Sanders/ Edwards etc). Brewer has the most tenuous grip there, and we will see what kind of chance he gets. Other than his spot, there isn’t a ton of 40 man wiggle room.

    I’m very curious to see what happens with Brown now that Taillon returns. Bullpen? Wicks to Iowa? 

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Pro teams have to play their "big money" guys if they are healthy and not "locker room" issues.
    The Cubs wanted to deal JHey off well before they bought him out. They just didn't want to pay him to play for someone else for that long. Jed did give him 20+mil to play for LAD last yr.
    Jed might also let Kyle walk at some point this year. Similar scenario to JHey, except Jed thought Kyle was going to be good/solid in '24!!
    You'd think Smyly is in the same book as well. Same with Neris (he's a 1yr vet RP, so he's not really in this convo too much).
    That's ~35mil between those three and those three are going to get opportunities until at least late June) over younger guys even if their performance is "iffy".
    But, Jed is going to play Taillon a lot. They have to try and justify that contract and hope a veteran works out.
    So, Taillon, Imanaga, and Hendricks are locks for the rest of April and probably May.
    Assad, Brown and Wicks handle the last spots until Steele is ready.
    Now, you're question has real merit when Steele comes back. That will interesting if Brown is still good and Hendricks is still bad. But Taillon is entirely safe as long as he's healthy.

    And the bullpen moves were "money" based as well. Smyly has actually been okay. But he hasn't been clearly better than Little. Little had one bad outing. But Smyly makes 9mil. If they needed another RHRP and one of Little and Smyly had to go, it was going to Little. But that doesn't mean Smyly is one of the best 13 arms for the team.