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

Javy Baez Back in Action at Extended Spring Training

Renato Nunez drilled an RBI double, walked twice, and scored a run, Iolana Akau ripped an RBI double and a single, Nate Freiman (on Oakland A's MLB 15-day DL with a lower back strain) reached base three times (walk, single, and HBP), and Matt Stalcup tossed four innings of shutout ball, leading the Athletics to a 4-1 victory over the Cubs in Cactus League Extended Spring Training action this morning on Field #6 at Mesa CubTown at Riverview Park in Mesa.

Frandy de la Rosa pulled a solo HR over the RF fence to account for the lone Cub run.  

Javy Baez was a DH and batted twice in the game, flying out to deep left-center his first time up, and striking out (swinging) on a 1-2 breaking ball his second time up. Baez is in the process of getting back into game shape at Extended Spring Training after missing the first two weeks of the regular season following the death of his sister.     

Prior to the Cactus League EXST game on Field #6, RHPs Jordan Brink, Jae-Hoon Ha (ex-OF), Scott Frazier, and Jose Zapata threw one inning a piece in a two-inning intrasquad "sim" game on Field #4. Baez "warmed-up" for the Cactus League EXST game by getting an AB in the "sim" game, rifling a double down the LF line off Brink. 

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

CUBS LINEUP
1. Kevonte Mitchell, CF-DH: 1-3 (1B, L-4 DP, F-8) 
2. Ho-Young Son, DH-SS: 1-3 (L-5 DP, 2B, 4-3) 
3a. Javy Baez, DH #2: 0-2 (F-8, K) 
3b. Roberto Caro, CF: 0-1 (K)
4a. Kevin Encarnacion, DH #3: 0-1 (BB, F-9) 
4b. Jose Paniagua, PH: 0-1 (F-7) 
5a. Eloy Jimenez, RF: 0-2 (6-4-3 DP, F-7)
5b. Jenner Emeterio, RF: 0-0 (BB)
6. Tyler Alamo, 1B: 0-3 (F-7, F-7, 5-4 FC)
7a. Ricardo Marcano, LF: 0-2 (P-6, F-9)
7b. Carlos Jimenez, LF: 0-1 (E-9)
8. Tim Saunders, SS-DH: 1-3 (P-4, K, 1B)
9a. Jhonny Pereda, C: 0-0 (BB)
9b. Yohan Matos, C: 0-1 (BB, K)
10. Wladimir Galindo, 3B: 0-3 (F-8, L-4 DP, F-7)
11. Frandy de la Rosa, DH-2B: 1-2 (F-8, HR, R, RBI)  
12. Andrew Ely, 2B-DH: 1-1 (1B, BB) 

CUBS PITCHERS
1. Adbert Alzolay: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K, 0/3 GO/FO, 49 pitches (27 strikes) 
2. Alexander Santana: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HBP, 1 GIDP, 2/0 GO/FO, 30 pitches (17 strikes) 
3. Yomar Morel: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 0 K, 3/3 GO/FO, 25 pitches (11 strikes) 
4. Pedro Araujo: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 2/2 GO/FO, 27 pitches (16 strikes) 
5. Greyfer Eregua: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 0 K, 1/2 GO/FO, 24 pitches (13 strikes) 

CUBS ERRORS: 2 
1. 2B Frandy de la Rosa - E-4 (overthrow at 1st base while attempting to turn 6-4-3 DP allowed batter to advance to 2nd base)
2. 3B Wladimir Galindo - E-5 (overthrow at 1st base allowed batter to reach base safely)  

CUBS CATCHERS DEFENSE
Yohan Matos: 0-1 CS 

WEATHER: Sunny with temperatures in th 80's 

ATTENDANCE: 12 

Comments

Glad to see Baez back. Not glad to see him with a 50% K rate. :) I am sure the Cubs are in no rush getting him back as there is really no place for him to play. I will be interested to see where he goes in the field.

O's cancelled tonight's game because of some rioting on the other side of the city...alright then. james brown would not approve.

Homer Bailey to DL with right elbow strain...M. Scherzer will miss next start with thumb injury, that one doesn't sound too serious though.

 

Another one bites the dust.

Brandon McCarthy down with UCL tear, likely done for the season.

 

is any team going to ever offer a pitcher an extension that isn't extremely team friendly by this point?

I love Arrieta but considering his age and you know, pitchers, I would just take chances at arbitration at this point.

Good point Rob G. That is why I like what the Cubs have done building around position players. The Mets clearly didn't learn from from the early 2000's Cubs with Wood, Prior and Zambrano.

[ ]

In reply to by johann

What I don't get is when people say the leagues should have the same rules, so the NL should get the DH. Why can't the NL have a 'never add the DH' stance? AL has stuck by their stance of never getting rid of the DH. That being said, i am sure the NL will cave, but only after they get serious concessions from the players.

[ ]

In reply to by mannytrillo

So true. Why is that never even considered? The game was founded without a DH. The DH is just a cheap American League marketing gimmick. The DH is an aberration. If you can justify one DH, than why not have 9 DH's and 9 defensive specialists?

[ ]

In reply to by mannytrillo

because interleague play is here to stay and now necessary (for the better). Rules need to be uniform. More importatnly, teams aren't letting their pitchers hit in the minors, it's getting pointless and even dangerous to let them hit. 

I'll miss the fun and unpredictability of a good hitting pitcher, I find it a more fun version of baseball, but it's time is done.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Basically if there was much of a good hitting pitcher left. They are so few, and too often it's just a joke. Is it cool to see Wood hit the occasional bomb? Yes. But 99 percent of the time we just have to watch near automatic outs step up to the plate. They don't practice hitting, why should they have to?

[ ]

In reply to by sbwilliams

Cubs pitchers I've enjoyed watching hit in the last 15 years or so: Kerry Wood, Prior, Zambrano, Maddux, Marquis, Sean Marshall, Travis Wood, maybe even Hammel and Arrieta. I don't think it's that rare to have a pitcher up there who isn't a complete zero. It's an added entertainment to have a slight advantage over the opposing team because your starter for that day might smack a double, and trying to get to the pitcher for an easy out also alters the rhythm of the game. Hard to say how much I'll warm to the DH--maybe that will be even more entertaining?

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

Had to look and compare to see how bad these guys were: Colon - 13/165 (.079 BA) Johnson - 78/625 (.125 BA) Lester - 0/44 (.000 BA)

[ ]

In reply to by sbwilliams

Not pro, per se, but I'm prepared for it. I like the idea of 9 vs. 9, but it just doesn't happen outside the NL. No other professional league in the U.S. is without the DH, correct? It's not like the minor league pitchers in the Cubs system bat anywhere until they get to the bigs. That's just silly. Get to the major leagues, and THEN learn a new skill? What? Plus, it's been what, 40 years? Time for the leagues to play the same set of rules. Momentum is in favor of the DH, and I don't care enough to protest it.

Recent comments

  • 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. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Javier Assad started the Lo-A game (Myrtle Beach versus Stockton) on the Cubs backfields on Wednesday as his final Spring Training tune-up. He was supposed to throw five innings / 75 pitches. However, I was at the minor league road games at Fitch so I didn't see Assad pitch. 

  • crunch (view)

    cards put j.young on waivers.

    they really tried to make it happen this spring, but he put up a crazy bad slash of .081/.244/.108 in 45PA.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Seconded!!!

  • crunch (view)

    another awesome spring of pitching reports.  thanks a lot, appreciated.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Here are the Cubs pitchers reports from Tuesday afternoon's Cardinals - Cubs game art Sloan Park in Mesa:

    SHOTA IMANAGA
    FB: 90-92 
    CUT: 87-89 
    SL: 82-83 
    SPLIT: 81-84
    CV: 73-74 
    COMMENT: Worked three innings plus two batters in the fourth... allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits (six singles and two doubles) walked one, and struck out six (four swinging), with a 1/2 GO/AO... he threw 73 pitches (52 strikes - 10 swing & miss - 19 foul balls)... surrendered one run in the top of the 1st on a one-out double off Cody Bellinger's glove in deep straight-away CF followed one out later by two consecutive two-out bloop singles, allowed two runs (one earned) in the 2nd after retiring the first two hitters (first batter had a nine-pitch AB with four consecutive two-strike foul balls before being retired 3 -U) on a two-out infield single (weak throw on the run by Nico Hoerner), a hard-contact line drive RBI double down the RF line, and an E-1 (missed catch) by Imanaga on what should been an inning-ending 3-1 GO, gave up another run in the 3rd on a two-out walk on a 3-2 pitch and an RBI double to LF, and two consecutive singles leading off the top of the 4th before being relieved (runners were ultimately left stranded)... threw 18 pitches in the 1st inning (14 strikes - two swing & miss, one on FB and the other on a SL - four foul balls), 24 pitches in the 2nd inning (17 strikes - three swing & miss, one on FB, two SPLIT - six foul balls), 19 pitches in the 3rd inning (13 strikes - seven swing & miss, three on SL, two on SPLIT, one on FB - three foul balls), and 12 pitches without retiring a batter in the top of the 4th (8 strikes - no swing & miss - four foul balls)... Imanaga throws a lot of pitches per inning, but it's not because he doesn't throw strikes...  if anything, he throws too many strikes (he threw 70% strikes on Tuesday)... while he gets a ton of swing & miss (and strikeouts), he also induces a lot of foul balls because he doesn't try to make hitters chase his pitches by throwing them out of the strike zone... rather, he uses his very diverse pitch mix to get swing & miss (and lots of foul balls as well)... he also is a fly ball pitcher who will give up more than his share of HR during the course of the season...   
     
    JOE NAHAS
    FB: 90-92 
    SL: 83-85 
    CV: 80-81 
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day... relieved Imanaga with runners at first and second and no outs in the top of the 4th, and after an E-2 catcher's interference committed by Miguel Amaya loaded he bases, Nahas struck out the side (one swinging & two looking)... threw 16 pitches (11 strikes - two swinging)...   

    YENCY ALMONTE
    FB: 89-92 
    CH: 86 
    SL: 79 
    COMMENT: Threw an eight-pitch 5th (five strikes - no swing & miss), with a 5-3 GO for the first out and an inning-ending 4-6-3 DP after a one-out single... command was a bit off but he worked through it...   

    FRANKIE SCALZO JR
    FB: 94-95
    CH: 88 
    SL: 83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 6th inning... got the first outs easily (a P-5 and a 4-3 GO) on just three pitches, before allowing three consecutive two-out hard-contact hits (a double and two singles), with the third hit on pitch # 9 resulting in a runner being thrown out at the plate by RF Christian Franklin for the third out of the inning... 

    MICHAEL ARIAS
    FB: 94-96
    CH: 87-89
    SL: 82-83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and allowed a hard-contact double on the third pitch of the 7th inning (a 96 MPH FB), and the runner came around to score on a 4-3 GO and a WP... gave up two other loud contact outs (an L-7 and an F-9)... threw 18 pitches (only 10 strikes - only one swing & miss)... stuff is electric but still very raw and he continues to have difficulty commanding it, and while he has the repertoire of a SP, he throws too many pitches-per-inning to be a SP and not enough strikes to be a closer... he is most definitely still a work-in-progress...   

    ZAC LEIGH: 
    FB: 93-94 
    CH: 89 
    SL: 81-83 
    CV: 78
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and tossed a 1-2-3 8th (4-3 GO, K-swinging on a sweeper, K-looking on another sweeper)... threw 14 pitches (11 strikes - one swing & miss - eight foul balls)... kept pumping pitches into the strike zone but had difficulty putting hitters away (ergo a ton of foul balls)... FB velo is nowhere near the 96-98 MPH it was a couple of years ago when he was a Top 30 prospect, but his secondaries are better...   

    JOSE ROMERO:  
    FB: 93-95
    SL: 82-84
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 9th (14 pitches - only six strikes- no swing & miss) and allowed a solo HR after two near-HR fly outs to the warning track, before getting a 3-1 GO to end the inning... it was like batting practice when he wasn't throwing pitches out of the strike zone...

  • crunch (view)

    pablo sandoval played 3rd and got a couple ABs (strikeout, single!) in the OAK@SF "exhibition"

    mlb officially authenticated the ball of the single he hit.  nice.

    he's in surprisingly good shape considering his poor body condition in his last playing seasons.  he's not lean, but he looks healthier.  good for him.