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

Nuts & Tourists Invade Riverview Park

The Asheville Tourists (Colorado Rockies Lo-A affiliate) rode a 13-hit attack that included three doubles, two triples and a home run, to coast past the South Bend Cubs (Lo-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs) 9-5 on Field #5, and the Modesto Nuts (Rockies Hi-A affiliate) cruised to a 6-1 victory over the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Cubs Hi-A affiliate) on Field #6, in Cactus League minor league game action this afternoon at Mesa Cubtown at Riverview Park.


Eloy Jimenez had a fine day for South Bend in a losing cause on Field #5, clouting a solo home run, as well as drilling two singles, drawing a walk, stealing a base, scoring two runs, and collecting two RBI. If Jimenez continues to hit in games the way he has so far, he might find himself the Opening Day RF at South Bend.

Both Gioskar Amaya and Mark Zagunis collected a double, a single, and a walk (Amaya also stole two bases) in the Pelican loss on Field #6.

The Defensive Play of the Day was turned in by South Bend third-baseman Jesse Hodges, who made a diving stop of a hot grounder to his right, quickly got to his feet, and made a pinpoint laser-throw to first to nail the Asheville batter by a half-step. (Hodges would later commit a throwing error on an easy one-hopper where he had plentry of time).

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

FIELD # 5

SOUTH BEND LINEUP:
1a. Charcer Burks, LF: 1-3 (3B, 6-3, 5-3, R)
1b. Shamil Ubiera, LF: 1-1 (1B, RBI)
2. Carlos Sepulveda, 2B-DH: 0-4 (6-3, 4-3, 4-3, K)
3a. Kevonte Mitchell, CF: 1-2 (BB, F-9, 2B, R)
3b. Calvin Graves, CF: 0-1 (P-6) 
4. Eloy Jimenez, RF: 3-3 (1B, BB, HR, 1B, 2 R, 2 RBI, SB)
5. Jesse Hodges, 3B: 1-4 (2B, 4-6-3 DP, K, K, 2 RBI)  
6a. Alberto Mineo, 1B: 1-2 (2B, HBP, 3-1)
6b. Roney Alcala, 1B: 0-1 (K)
7. Tanner Witt, DH-2B: 1-3 (BB, F-9, 1B, 6-3, R, SB)
8a. Alex Tomasovich, DH #2: 1-3 (F-9, 2B, L-9)
8b. Tyler Alamo, PH: 0-1 (4-3)
9a. Erick Castillo, C: 0-1 (3-U, HBP)
9b. Tyler Pearson, C: 0-1 (BB, L-8)
10a. Ho-Young Son, SS: 0-2 (K, 5-U FC)
10b. Frandy de la Rosa, SS: 0-0 (BB) 

SOUTH BEND PITCHERS:
1. Erick Leal: 3.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R (2 ER), 0 BB, 3 K, 1 WP, 1 BALK, 2/3 GO/FO, 37 pitches (27 strikes)
2. Trevor Clifton: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R (2 ER), 3 BB, 4 K, 1/0 GO/FO, 49 pitches (24 strikes)
3. Dillon Maples: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R (2 ER), 1 BB, 0 K, 1 WP, 2/0 GO/FO, 16 pitches (11 strikes)
4. Corbin Hoffner: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R (3 ER), 1 BB, 0 K, 1 HR, 1/1 GO/FO, 21 pitches (13 strikes)
5. James Farris: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 3/1 GO/FO, 24 pitches (20 strikes)

SOUTH BEND ERRORS: 1
3B Jesse Hodges - E-5 (throwing error allowed batter to reach base safely)

SOUTH BEND CATCHERS DEFENSE:
Erick Castillo: 2-5 CS

SOUTH BEND OUTFIELD ASSISTS:
LF Shamil Ubiera - threw out batter-runner 7-4 trying to stretch single into double

FIELD #6

MYRTLE BEACH LINEUP:
1a. Gioskar Amaya, C: 2-2 (1B, 2B, BB, R, 2 SB)
1b. Justin Marra, C: 1-1 (2B)
2a. Chesny Young, 2B: 1-2 (F-9, 2B, BB, RBI)
2b. Bryant Flete, 2B: 0-0 (BB)
3a. Gleyber Torres, SS: 0-3 (K, 6-3, K)
3b. Varonex Cuevas, SS: 0-1 (K)
4. Jacob Rogers, 1B: 1-4 (K, K, K, 1B) :
5. Mark Zagunis, DH #1: 2-3 (BB, 1B+E7, 2B, 5-4 FC)
6. Jason Vosler, 3B: :1-4 (4-3 DP, F-7, 4-3, 2B)
7. Charlie White, RF: 0-4 (4-3, 1-3, K, L-9)
8. Kevin Encarnacion, LF: 0-3 (5-3, K, 6-3)
9. Trey Martin, CF: 0-3 (5-3, K, F-8)
10a. Shawon Dunston Jr, DH #2: 0-2 (3-U, K)
10b. Roberto Vahlis, PH: 0-1 (6-3)

MYRTLE BEACH PITCHERS:
1. Paul Blackburn: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R (2 ER), 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HR, 3/3 GO/FO, 39 pitches (22 strikes)
2. Jeremy Null: 3.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 1 K, 2/5 GO/FO, 49 pitches (32 strikes)
3. Lars Huijer: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 1/0 GO/FO, 15 pitches (10 strikes)
4. Tanner Griggs: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 1 GIDP, 2/0 GO/FO, 4 pitches (3 strikes)
5. Daniel Lewis: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R (2 ER), 1 BB, 1 K, 1/1 GO/FO, 17 pitches (8 strikes)

MYRTLE BEACH ERRORS: 1
RF Charlie White  - E-9 (fielding error on line-drive single to right allowed batter to take an extra base)  

MYRTLE BEACH CATCHERS DEFENSE:
Gioskar Amaya: 0-2 CS

WEATHER: Sunny with tempratures in the 80's

ATTENDANCE: 71 

Comments

"If Jimenez continues to hit in games the way he has so far, he might find himself the Opening Day RF at South Bend. " South Bend? Why not the big club? Bring him up!!

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

It seems a little tied in to what Maddon was saying about Baez the other day, loving the bat speed, but not the inability to control it. The big concern - voiced to the point where it is 3/44 I guess, is that I'm not sure you can teach what Baez has to learn. Castro may have given him the best advice, in swinging earlier, but can you really learn that? I was a terrible hitter - bad eyes - so I have no idea because if it was me I'm just up there flailing hoping for a miracle, but can a guy like Baez just learn to see the ball better? I read an interesting article about Miguel Cabrera awhile back where they said he was able to actually see the spin of the ball coming out of the pitcher's hand. Obviously, that sets him apart if true since that is probably pretty rare, but if Baez really doesn't know when to launch that wild swing of his, can it be taught or learned at this level? That's a question for people who know more about hitting, not a "I don't think he can make it" comment.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

I know I've said this before, so apologies for being repetitive, but I think it is a mistake to always consider ability to see/react to the pitch separately from swing mechanics. A big swing could mean that you have to start earlier as a hitter, meaning that you are reacting to the pitch earlier and making a decision with slightly less information than someone who can wait a bit longer. Cutting down on a swing or adjusted swing mechanics in other ways can actually allow you to see the ball better in a variety of ways that are independent of quality of eyesight itself. I always figured that was the cause of Soriano's vulnerability to the breaking ball vs. A-Ram's (or Castro's, for another example) relative ability to hit them. Soriano's decision to swing or lay off and his bat path may have both been determined when the ball was farther away from him because he had so much load up and overall exertion. This is not to say, of course, that raw eyesight is never a causal factor.

[ ]

In reply to by Charlie

That makes a lot of sense to me. It makes sense, too, that some hitters may even compensate a bit for not being able to see the ball as well as others by having ferocious swings that crush the ball when they make contact. Baez doesn't have to be perfect up there - he's shown that he can hit low sliders a long way. He just has to somehow find a way to not swing at every friggin pitch, and, like Castro says, start a bit earlier (maybe?)

This is getting ridiculous. OK, so start him with the Cubs. Who knows? This may turn out to be their best chance to win for the next 10 years -- solid rotation, promising bullpen, good leadoff guy, young power bats -- take your shot.

I know the probability that they all make it as MLB everyday players is not great, but it's hard not to drool over the prospect of Bryant, Soler, Russell, a not-struggling Baez, and Schwarber all in the same Cubs lineup. Especially with so many of these prospects (with the exception of Baez) putting up some good offensive numbers this Spring Training.

[ ]

In reply to by Charlie

AZ Phil was able to talk me out of the odds against it happening by pointing to some teams with a lot of successful prospects. The thing is, Bryant, Russell, Soler, and Schwarber all seem to have a really good idea of what they are doing at the plate. Baez may be the odd man out, but even he could be a force if he just gets things under control a bit. A Soriano type, maybe, but that's not a bad career.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

Based on the Cubs' hitting today, I'd like to add to my comment the following prediction: 6 years from now all current Cubs prospects have enjoyed the first several years of illustrious careers, fans of every other MLB team hate Cubs fans and Kris Bryant, and our bodies and minds are ruined by years of almost uninterrupted masturbation. Kind of like St. Louis Cards fans now. [cymbal crash]

Okay, you guys have convinced me from the previous thread. Keep Bryant down for those two weeks. Who needs him?

But seriously, this is kind of weird. I realize it's spring training, but how does this even happen at this level?

Welington Castillo should be on this team. David Ross, sure, at least until Bryant needs to be recalled, so he's got a few weeks. Pitch framing matters, but so does offense.

Wow, Baez and Fowler didn't get on base. That's going to be a big waste of Bryant's next home run. Sheesh, guys, get in the game a bit.

The good news is the Cubs are now being run by smarter guys than us. The better new is the Cubs have Kris Bryant.

Rick Sutcliffe (@Sut_ESPN) tweeted that, in the Cubs dugout today, Billy Williams compared Kris Bryant to Roy Hobbs. Via @thecubreporter, I asked whether Billy was referring to the heroic movie depiction of Roy Hobbs or the fallen-hero-crushed-by-his-own-hubris depiction of Hobbs from the novel. Sutcliffe tweeted back that he will confirm with Billy tomorrow. 

Jesus Christ he's on fire. But so was Bryan LaHair ... anyone can have a hot stretch. This game is about the long haul. No, Kris Bryant is not an ageing AAAA player like LaHair, but someone of his talent level playing to kill in spring training against pitchers trying to find their stuff and get innings in does not mean he's gonna be a world beater in 2015. Chances are he IS rookie of the year. Fine. Maybe. Chances also are he still has a lot to learn. Chances also are the Cubs are still a year away from contending. But just because he's pissed off and annihilating spring training pitching doesn't mean you bring him up for 9 days and lose a year on the back end. There's very good odds he doesn't do shit the first month. Maybe he cools off literally and at the plate. I still vote send him down. Last year baez crushed homers his first week. Soler killed the ball at an unearthly clip, Alcantara had an insane first few games. It's adrenaline and a sprint. But baseball isn't a sprint. Something to prove and pitchers learning. Bryant is doing it in spring training - games don't count. Doesn't mean too much with regard to the long haul. Gonna be ups and downs. He'll start down.

Maddon saying Bryant to get outfield work starting this week. That works well in a number of ways. He can be sent to AAA to get outfield reps for a couple of weeks. Olt can start at third. Rizzo, La Stella, Castro, Olt, Montero, Bryant, Fowler, Soles for a lineup, with Alcantara as utility and Baez ready to push La Stella to the bench if he does well in AAA.

[ ]

In reply to by WISCGRAD

I don't have strong feelings about it, but at least it should make the transition easier if they have to Miguel Cabrera/Ryan Braun him. Still like him a lot better at 3B if he can play passable defense there. I do like the possibility that it gives Olt a few more chances to prove he can have value as an MLB player.

there is way too much "making fun of people who want bryant to be up" snark going around the internet (not here as much)...and too many of those on board with keeping him down are so full of shit. he doesn't need to "work on" anything...he's most likely going down for the same reason he wasn't brought up last september...money and service time. i understand and support the decision to keep him down, but there's not some noble "casual fans don't understand" reasoning for sending him down aside from the service time issue unless the kool aid is flowing so hard that those who are buying the official line actually believe it has very little to nothing to do with service time. it's getting toxic out there on both sides of the issue. myself, it's hard to argue with keeping him down a couple weeks...i don't care if he breaks with the team or comes up in late-april. the system needs fixing, not bryant, not theo/jed, not boras, not tony clark, etc etc...fix it and it's not an issue going forward. this has been going on for years...TB's very familiar with the hate and angst and they've never cared.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

I would think that the casual fan is the one who cares the most. I went on record in the previous thread that I wanted him to start with the MLB club, but I don't feel very strongly about it, and I would think most thinking baseball fans won't, either. If Bryant doesn't start the year with the big club, my man Olt gets a few more chances at things, and so that's a plus. I don't think it's a mistake if Bryant doesn't start off with the big league club, I just think the whole service time thing is kind of silly since we cannot possibly know what things will look like six years down the road. For me, it's a slight preference that he start up with the big league club. But I also kinda want to see Olt in the lineup for a month to see what happens there. This team is so loaded with prospects that it's fun no matter what happens.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

i'm really not seeing much irrational (hell, nothing really) about what's been going on here, but on other boards, twitter, and etc things are getting off the hook. there's a group of people out there who see the front office as a 100% outlet for truth, gospel, and anyone suggesting there's anything going on besides exactly what they're saying are heretics who don't deserve to be cubs fans.

hammel just recorded the last out with a man on 2nd. he was hitting 8th...hurrah for that crap. i think t.wood is the only guy in this rotation that should be hitting 8th...though not over alcantara like hammel is today.

rockies released j.chacin...that's worth keeping an eye on. he's had a horrible spring so far, fwiw.

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.