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

Cubs Drown in Brewer Beer at Maryvale

Submitted by Arizona Phil on

Chad Thompson and three relievers combined to toss a four-hitter with 11 strikeouts and Tucker Neuhaus singled, walked twice, scored a run, and drove-in another, as the Brewers celebrated "Cinco de Mayo" with a 6-2 victory over the Cubs in Cactus League Extended Spring Training action this morning at Maryvale Baseball Park Field #7 (AKA "Paul Molitor Field") in Phoenix, AZ.

Jorge Soler drove-in both Cub runs with a 1st inning F-8 sacrifice fly to the warning track in CF and a 3rd inning two-out RBI ground-single through the box, and Rashad Crawford reached base three times (two BB and an HBP), stole two bases, and scored both Cub runs. 

Soler also struck out (swinging) on a 2-2 breaking ball in the 5th and grounded out 6-3 in the 8th.

In 30 Plate Appearances over six Cactus League EXST games, Soler is hitting 200/267/240 with five hits (four singles and a double), five RBI, two sacrifice flies, no walks, three HBP, six strikeouts, and one stolen base.    
Unlike the other 14 Cactus League teams, the Brewers play EXST games against teams from both the East and West Divisions. The other 14 teams play games only against teams from their side of town (for example, other than games against the Brewers, the Cubs play only the "east-side" Angels, A's, Giants, Rockies, and Diamondbacks, and other than the five games they play with the Brewers, the White Sox play only the "west-side" Dodgers, Reds, Indians, Padres, Mariners, Royals, and Rangers). But because they are located between the two divisions, the Brewers play everybody, and today was the Cubs turn to go to Maryvale.   

In EXST Cubs roster news, 1B Matt Scioscia and INF Trevor Stevens have been released.

The son of Angels manager Mike Scioscia, Matt Scioscia was acquired from the Angels in exchange for 1B-OF Trevor Gretzky in March. Because he did not make a full-season team's Opening Day roster, he was "left behind" at Riverview Park and was assigned to the Extended Spring Training squad at the conclusion of Minor League Camp. 

Scioscia was one of several older and more-experienced players assigned to the Cubs EXST squad who serve as a "replacement cadre" in case of an injury to a player at Kane County, Daytona, Tennessee, or Iowa. (Infielder Giuseppe Papaccio has already spent time at Tennessee and Daytona this season covering for injuries). By having ready-reserve replacements available at EXST, the Cubs do not have to sign a minor league free-agent every time a position players goes on the DL at KC, Daytona, Tennessee, or Iowa. They just temporarily move-up one of the replacemernt guys from Riverview Park.   

Unfortunately for Scioscia, the Cubs are well-fixed at 1st base at both KC and Daytona (with Jacob Rogers and Danny Canela at KC, and Dan Vogelbach and Rock Shoulders at Daytona), C-1B-3B Taylor Davis and IF-OF Anthony Giansanti can fill-in if anything happens to Dustin Geiger at Tennessee, and the Iowa Cubs have a number of players who can play 1B (Lars Anderson, Chris Valaika, Jonathon Mota, and Edgar Gonzalez). So Scioscia wasn't going to get moved-up even if a "full-season" 1st baseman went on the DL, plus just by being at Extended Spring Training he was (inadvertently) taking AB away from younger players, even though he himself was actually performing very well.  

In fact, Scioscia was hitting a robust 348/423/391 in 26 Plate Appearances, was one of the EXST Cubs leading hitters (second in Batting Avg only to Roney Alcala, who is hitting .400), and was in the midst of an active seven-game hitting streak at the time of his release. What hurt Scioscia was his age (he's 25), the fact that he plays a position (1st base) that requires at least a little bit of slugging (although he is a big guy, Scioscia really has no power), and that he is an extremely slow runner (he was thrown-out trying to advance from 2nd to 3rd on a single to LF in an EXST game last month). Although Scioscia played both 1B and catcher when he was in the Angels system, the Cubs played him only at 1B.  

Trevor Stevens was signed as a Non-Drafted Free-Agent out of Northwestern University last summer to provide infield depth for the AZL Cubs (he hit 257/388/329 in 26 AZL games), but he was not invited to post-season Instructs and he probably would have been released at the end of Minor League Camp this past March if he hadn't suffered a broken hand in Spring Training. Just like a sick prisoner on Death Row who can't be executed until he has recovered from the flu, Stevens wasn't released until he was healthy and ready to return to action. (He had been serving as a 1st base coach for the EXST Cubs while on the injured list).  

Here is the abridged box score from today's game (Cubs players only)

CUBS LINEUP:
1. Rashad Crawford, CF: 0-1 (BB, HBP, BB, K, 2 R, 2 SB)
2. Oliver Zapata, DH: 2-4 (1B, 4-3, 1B, F-9, 2 SB)
3. Jorge Soler, RF: 1-3 (F-8 SF, 1B, K, 6-3, 2 RBI)
4. Rony Rodriguez, 1B: 0-4 (K, K, K, 5-3)
5a. Tyler Alamo, C: 0-3 (L-3, K, 4-3)
5b. Alberto Mineo, C: 0-1 (P-5)
6. Gleyber Torres, SS: 1-4 (K, 1B, 4-3, F-9)
7a. Dalfis Ortiz, 2B: 0-3 (2-3, K, F-7)
7b. Bryant Flete, 2B: 0-1 (1-3)
8. Jesse Hodges, 3B: 0-2 (P-4, BB, K)
9. Charcer Burks, LF: 0-3 (K, F-8, K)

CUBS PITCHERS:
1. Tyler Ihrig: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R (0 ER), 0 BB, 5 K, 3/1 GO/FO, 39 pitches (27 strikes)
2. Adbert Alzolay: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R (2 ER), 1 BB, 2 K, 2 WP, 0/1 GO/FO, 30 pitches (15 strikes)
3. Josh Davis: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 0 K, 1 GIDP, 5/1 GO/FO, 33 pitches (21 strikes)
4. Zak Hermans: 3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 3 K, 2 WP, 1 PO, 3/2 GO/FO, 46 pitches (30 strikes)

CUBS ERRORS: 3
1. C Tyler Alamo - E-2 (overthrow on stolen base attempt at 3rd base allowed runner to score unearned run)
2. 2B Dalfis Ortiz - E-4 (missed catch on attempted FC allowed baserunner to reach 2nd base safely)
3. SS Gleyber Torres - E-6 (fielding error allowed batter to reach base safely)

CUBS CATCHERS DEFENSE:
1. Tyler Alamo: 0-3 CS, 1 E (see above)
2. Alberto Mineo: 0-1 CS

ATTENDANCE: 6

WEATHER: Sunny with temperatures in the 90's



Tags
Cubs Extended Spring Training
Jorge Soler
Rashad Crawford
Matt Scioscia
Trevor Stevens

Comments

Submitted by bigsky33 on Mon, 05/05/2014 - 05:22 pm

Hi Phil, had a good trip back. I keep up to date reading your reports everyday. When is Soler going back? Seems like he is all healed. Enjoyed being down there and seeing you. I will be keeping an eye on Kevin Brown. Bob

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Mon, 05/05/2014 - 05:28 pm

BOB: Glad to hear you got back home safe & sound. The attendance at Riverview Park has really taken a hit since you left.

I thought Soler's last day here would have been Saturday since he played RF for seven innings and got six AB in six innings, but he was back out there again today at Maryvale, playing RF for nine innings and only hitting when the #3 slot in the batting order was due up.

His body language is saying "GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!"

Submitted by crunch on Mon, 05/05/2014 - 05:17 pm

watched a ton of games this year and one thing that keeps popping up is replay requests are very commonly taking place at the same time a TV replay happens. i get the impression that pretty much every team has a guy watching the game in the clubhouse who's yelling back to the dugout whether to challenge or not. dunno if it's a good or bad thing since it leads to less challenges that shouldn't be made...but overall i wish the challenges would go away (at least until the playoffs).

Submitted by crunch on Mon, 05/05/2014 - 05:34 pm

darwin barney hates the cubs, cubs fans, america, freedom, hopes, and dreams. i called him darwin macias a few times...i think that's starting to become an insult to jose macias rather than an insult to barney.

Submitted by Rob G. on Mon, 05/05/2014 - 05:24 pm

107 pitches for Samardzija through 8, bats for himself with 1 out in bottom of 8th because pitcher wins are important or something

/facepalm

Submitted by crunch on Mon, 05/05/2014 - 05:35 pm

back to back walks with 122 pitches and he gets another batter to pitch to? that's interesting.

Submitted by jacos on Mon, 05/05/2014 - 05:39 pm

Theo clears his throat Jed grabs yellow pages looking under pages for "Managers"

Submitted by crunch on Mon, 05/05/2014 - 05:48 pm

this will be ninja's 13th start in a row without a win going back to last season.

Submitted by crunch on Mon, 05/05/2014 - 05:13 pm

t.wood pinch hitting...because every circus needs multiple sideshows.

Submitted by jacos on Mon, 05/05/2014 - 05:15 pm

Travis Wood ph to start 11 Race between Ventura and Ricky to see who mismanages to the loss

Submitted by crunch on Mon, 05/05/2014 - 05:48 pm

would someone please open up whatever magic binder of stats that will show renteria that w.wright isn't just a loogie...meh. grimm and russell the rest of the way. ...and grimm blows it. 2-1 wsox...awesome. make that 3-1 after a HBP to load the bases and walking a run home. awesome.

Submitted by Old and Blue on Tue, 05/06/2014 - 05:02 am

If you can shut down Rizzo and Castro, you can pretty easily beat this team, which is a shame because the pitching is pretty good.

Submitted by fullykräusened on Tue, 05/06/2014 - 05:58 am

Hard to score runs with half a lineup. Castro, Rizzo, Bonifacio, and Castillo are okay, especially since three of them play skill positions, but the rest have been awful. I'm just about as old and blue as Old and Blue, and I agree with him that it's time to play the guys who have some chance of playing for the Cubs in the future if they stop sucking: Olt and Lake. At-bats by Schierholtz, Barney, Valbuena, etc. are pointless. I realize those guys have to play some of the time because the rules require nine players in the lineup, but the less they play, the better I like it. Renteria (that's where you go in Guadalajara to get a rototiller for the day) wants to ease Olt and Lake in. But Olt is 25, Lake 24. They're entering their prime years, and the time is now to find out whether that prime is good enough to play. It's not as if either one is the answer--if they are starters two years from now that probably means The Plan has failed--but it would be nice to watch five or six relatively young, mostly home-grown Cubs for awhile as we wait for the more highly regarded prospects to sort themselves out.

[ ]

Submitted by Carlito on Tue, 05/06/2014 - 05:58 pm

Exactly. And barring some injuries we don't know about (Olt's shoulder) he could just as easily be 'easing them out' of the big leagues with lack of playing time. Being on the righty batter / lefty pitcher side of a platoon is not exactly conducive to getting in a rhythm. The veterans are typically the ones that can handle the push pull emotional roller coaster of sitting and playing. I can't see how it helps Olt or Lake to think about their .163 batting average for 2-3 days between starts. Ricky, you are HELPING them adjust when you give them PT and confidence. Jesus Christos!

[ ]

Submitted by Old and Blue on Tue, 05/06/2014 - 05:56 pm

How's that working out for them? Schierholtz is doing a Darwin Barney impersonation. Valbuena could be a nice piece on a contender. Knows how to take a walk, is versatile in the field. He shouldn't be part of a lineup on a team trying to find its young core.

[ ]

Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Wed, 05/07/2014 - 05:33 pm

I wouldn't mind Vitters getting called up once he gets his hitting and on-base numbers back to normal for him. The Cubs have one home run from an outfielder this season not named Lake. Vitters just hit four in three games. That's different. Also, Vitters is ripe, like Lake was last year. I remember Macleod going to Iowa and scouting Lake and saying, He's just about there.

Recent comments

  • 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. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Childersb3: I think there was an issue with Luke Little coming into a game with men on base. He seems to need a "clean" inning to be dominant. So he is a future closer and needs to be used in that role at AAA. Same goes for Michael Arias. He needs to come into a "clean" inning, and is a future closer and needs to be used in that role at AA. Porter Hodge is a more versatile pitcher, a better version of Keegan Thompson (multi-inning RP). But Little, Arias, and Hodge (probably in that order) are the Cubs top three RP prospects (all three are Cubs Top 15 prospects).

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    So, let’s do a little war gaming. Taillon is back for tonight’s game. He pitched two rehab games, just a few innings each, and not especially sharp. Let’s face it, he hasn’t been lights out since the Cubs gave him the big contract. In other words, as flat out bad as Hendricks has been, the chances of Taillon being the savior don’t look exactly promising.

    If Taillon is equally ineffective or perhaps even worse, what’s the next move? Winning teams can often find a way to work around a dud fifth starter - kinda. Two dud starters make things much more difficult.

    I believe the biggest reason for the recent bullpen moves was dissatisfaction with the recent blowing of big leads and the recognition that the bullpen wasn’t all it was thought to be. In other words, they are exploring alternate options and configurations. If similar juggling becomes necessary (even more so than it already is), what kind of reasonable maneuvering do we think could be explored?

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Cubdom needs to prepare themselves for Wicks to be sent to Iowa for Taillon to come up.
    Ben Brown has 4 appearances. Wicks has 4 appearances.
    Ben has 16.1 IP.  Wicks has 17 IP
    Ben was a 1.1 WHIP.  Wicks has a 1.7 WHIP. Wicks does have significantly more SOs. 
    Ben has been better, though.
    I love Wicks. I think he's a fighter and his stuff has improved.
    But, Jed isn't ditching Hendricks just yet. He should. But he won't.
    Hendricks should go to the IL and Taillon-Imanaga-Assad-Wicks-Brown should be the rotation.
    Wont' happen though.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    AZ Phil,
    Did you agree with the demotion of Luke Little? He'd been pretty good up until the AZ/wild pitch appearance. I know that can't jettison Smyly (just yet) so they didn't need another LHRP. Especially with Leiter effectively being a LHRP. I still thought he deserved to stay. It's not permanent. He'll be back. Lots of moves to come with Taillon, Steele and other guys coming and going.

    Also, do you see Hodge being able to "control/command" his stuff to get a chance this year?
    Is Arias better than Hodge?   Thanks

  • crunch (view)

    just waiting to hear patrick wisdom and masterboney are spotted at the airport going in opposite directions...

    aj puk going for the marlins (lefty)...gotta imagine we'll see wisdom in the lineup.

    someone has to make room for taillon, too.

  • crunch (view)

    he's a low-level cubs star in the modern history of the cubs (c.zambrano, k.wood, r.dempster, etc), but that star has dimmed...and has been dimming since 2021.

    2024 has been ugly the whole way and we're only in mid-april.  homers aside (even though there's been 7 in 17ip) he gave up 29 hits in 20 spring innings and 31 in 17 regular season innings.

    he's pretty much only got 2 pitches at this point in his career and the mix isn't fooling anyone.  he threw a noticable amount more curves in his last start to add to the mix and it didn't help his issues.  he don't have many moves left to break out.

  • Eric S (view)

    Definitely needs a 10 day stint for the hangnail - have to nip those things in the bud or suffer the consequences (ie, more opponent home run derby, etc)

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