Cubs MLB Roster

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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

Zastryzny Gets Start for AZL Cubs

Hector Hernandez (on Kane County 7-day DL) hurled three innings of one-hit shutout ball and combined with three relievers to toss a four-hitter, as the AZL Diamondbacks defeated the AZL Cubs 4-1 in AZL action this evening on Whirlwind Field at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick Resort east of Scottsdale, AZ.


LHP Rob Zastryzny (on AA Tennessee 7-day DL with a foot injury) saw his first game action since April 23rd (not counting EXST "sim" games), getting a rehab start and working four innings (63 pitches - 38 strikes) for the AZL Cubs. He allowed one run on three hits and two walks, with four strikeouts and a 5/3 GO/FO. He also threw three wild pitches.

Zastryzny had a lot of trouble commanding his breaking ball, but his fastball had life, and while he had some control issues, he threw strikes when he needed to throw them.

With four innings and 63 pitches under his belt, I would think it's fairly likely that Zastryzny will be reinstated from the DL later this week and make his next start for Tennessee on Saturday or Sunday.

Fireballin' RHP Dylan Cease followed Zastryzny to the mound and was unable to get through the bottom of the 5th, allowing three runs (and all three runs should have been scored as earned - see below) on two hits, a walk, and two WP, with one strikeout in 0.2 IP (24 pitches - 15 strikes).

The play-by-play log at milb.com is inaccurate in a couple or three ways regarding the bottom of the 5th. Here is how it appears at milb.com:

> Pitching Change: Dylan Cease replaces Rob Zastryzny.
> Jacob Cordero singles on a fly ball to right fielder Robert Garcia.
> With Alvaro Rondon batting, Jacob Cordero steals (1) 2nd base.
> Alvaro Rondon hits a sacrifice bunt. Missed catch error by third baseman Wladimir Galindo, assist to pitcher Dylan Cease. Jacob Cordero scores. Alvaro Rondon to 2nd.
> Jacy Cave strikes out swinging.
> With Dylan Kelly batting, wild pitch by Dylan Cease, Alvaro Rondon to 3rd.
> Dylan Kelly grounds out, second baseman Carlos Sepulveda to first baseman Joe Martarano. Alvaro Rondon scores.
> Daniel Comstock walks.
> With Ramon Hernandez batting, wild pitch by Dylan Cease, Daniel Comstock to 2nd.
> Ramon Hernandez singles on a line drive to center fielder Roberto Caro. Daniel Comstock scores.
> Pitching Change: Tanner Griggs replaces Dylan Cease.
> Ismael Pena grounds out, second baseman Carlos Sepulveda to first baseman Joe Martarano.

And here is what actually happened:

> Pitching Change: Dylan Cease replaces Rob Zastryzny.
> Jacob Cordero singles on a fly ball to right fielder Robert Garcia.
> With Alvaro Rondon batting, Jacob Cordero steals (1) 2nd base.
> Alvaro Rondon hits a sacrifice bunt. Missed catch error by third baseman Wladimir Galindo, NO ASSIST TO PITCHER DYLAN CEASE BECAUSE IT WAS A SH-FC. Jacob Cordero scores. Alvaro Rondon to 2nd.
> Jacy Cave strikes out swinging.
> With Dylan Kelly batting, wild pitch by Dylan Cease, Alvaro Rondon to 3rd.
>WITH DYLAN KELLY BATTING, PASSED BALL BY YOHAN MATOS, ALVARO RONDON SCORES
> Dylan Kelly grounds out, second baseman Carlos Sepulveda to first baseman Joe Martarano. ALVARO RONDON DID NOT SCORE ON THE PLAY AND KELLY SHOULD NOT GET CREDIT FOR AN RBI BECAUSE RONDON HAD ALREADY SCORED ON A PASSED BALL.
> Daniel Comstock walks.
> With Ramon Hernandez batting, wild pitch by Dylan Cease, Daniel Comstock to 2nd.
> Ramon Hernandez singles on a line drive to center fielder Roberto Caro. Daniel Comstock scores.
> Pitching Change: Tanner Griggs replaces Dylan Cease.
> Ismael Pena grounds out, second baseman Carlos Sepulveda to first baseman Joe Martarano.

So contrary to what you might read in the box score, Cease allowed three runs, and all three runs (not just one) were earned, because the E-5 on the bunt was not a missed catch that would have resulted in an out  Hence Cease should not be credited with an assist, either. Rather it was a SH-FC, where without the E-5 there would have been runners at 1st & 3rd and no outs, and both runners would have eventually scored anyway thanks to the two wild pitches, the 4-3 GO, a walk, and another single later in the inning. (Cease should have thrown to 1st instead of 3rd on the bunt, but catcher Yohan Matos yelled "three, three three," causing Cease to make a throw to a base where there was no play, but that is a SH-FC, not an error... BTW, Matos was also picked-off 1st by D'backs catcher Dylan Kelly with one out and runners at 1st & 2nd in the top of the 4th).

RHP Tanner Griggs (1.1 IP, 25 pitches - 14 strikes) saw his first game action since suffering a groin injury while pitching in an intrasquad game in mid-April, relieving Cease with two outs and one man on base in the 5th and then retiring the side on a 4-3 GO, before escaping another jam of his own making (thanks to two walks) in the bottom of the 6th

RHP (ex-C) Mark Malave (16 pitches - 10 strikes, with 2 K - both looking in the bottom of the 7th) and RHP Santiago Rodriguez (8 pitches - 5 strikes - 0/3 GO/FO in the bottomo of the 8th) each threw a 1-2-3 inning.

The Cubs scored their lone run in the top of the 5th on a two-out RBI single by Roberto Caro that drove-in Carlos Jimenez from 2nd base. And here we have still another screw-up in the milb.com box score and game log (play-by-play), because there was a fielding error by CF Max Brown on Caro's hit (which was a single) that was not recorded in the box score and that was listed in the game log as a single by Caro and a "deflection"(?) by the CF that allowed Caro to take second and then try for third, where he was thrown out for the final out of the inning.   

Comments

The reason the milb.com AZL game box scores are screwed up so often (and they have been for many years) is because the official scorer has to call the mlb.com HQ every half-inning by phone and verbally recite the game log (play-by-play) from the previous half-inning over the phone ("...that's Griggs... no GRIGGS!... G-R-I-G-G-S!!!") and he sometimes forgets to say precisely what happened, or misses game action from the current half-inning because he's distracted trying to explain what just happened the previous half-inning to the milb.com rep at the other end of the call. 

Bottom line is, the system used by milb.com to provide "official" box scores and game logs (play-by-play) on its web-site is an absolute joke. 

And it will be interesting to see if Dylan Kelly's phantom RBI from the bottom of the 5th inning of tonight's game is removed from the "official" minor league record, or remains for eternity. 

In fact, the official scorer didn't even know that Dylan Kelly had entered the game in the top of the 4th until Kelly's mother happened to mention it in a conversation and the official scorer overheard her. 

UPDATE:

Milb.com now shows this in the bottom of the 5th...

They have "discovered" the Matos PB, but then they lost Rondon taking second on the E-5.

> Pitching Change: Dylan Cease replaces Rob Zastryzny.
> Jacob Cordero singles on a fly ball to right fielder Robert Garcia.
With Alvaro Rondon batting, Jacob Cordero steals (1) 2nd base.
> Alvaro Rondon hits a sacrifice bunt. Missed catch error by third baseman Wladimir Galindo, assist to pitcher Dylan Cease. (AGAIN, there is no assist here, because it was a SH-FC). Jacob Cordero scores. Alvaro Rondon to 2nd has now been removed (although this is what happened, and they actually had that part right the first time
> Jacy Cave strikes out swinging.
> With Dylan Kelly batting, wild pitch by Dylan Cease, Alvaro Rondon to 2nd (except he actually advanced from 2nd to 3rd on the WP)
>With Dylan Kelly batting, passed ball by Yohan Matos, Alvaro Rondon to 3rd (except he actually scored on the Matos PB)
> Dylan Kelly grounds out, second baseman Carlos Sepulveda to first baseman Joe Martarano. Alvaro Rondon scores. ---- NO! NO! NO! No RBI here. the runner had already scored on the PB! 
> Daniel Comstock walks.
> With Ramon Hernandez batting, wild pitch by Dylan Cease, Daniel Comstock to 2nd.
> Ramon Hernandez singles on a line drive to center fielder Roberto Caro. Daniel Comstock scores.
> Pitching Change: Tanner Griggs replaces Dylan Cease.
> Ismael Pena grounds out, second baseman Carlos Sepulveda to first baseman Joe Martarano.

Again, all three runs charged to Cease are earned (not just one) because it was a SH-FC that allowed Rondon to reach base, not the E-5 missed catch. The E-5 did allow the runners to advance an extra base on the SH-FC (one to score from third and the other to advance from first to second), but they would have scored later in the inning anyway because of the two WP, the GO, and the RBI single.

from todays Tribune... right fielder Jorge Soler (left ankle) is expected to start his rehab assignment next week.

Thanks AZ PHIL. I am looking forward as always to your pithy headlines when Dylan Cease starts doing well. Stay cool...

Recent comments

  • 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.

  • crunch (view)

    dbacks are signing j.montgomery to a 1/25m with a vesting 20m player option.

    i dunno when the ink officially dries, but i believe if he signs once the season begins he can't be offered a QO...and i'm not sure if that thing with SD/LAD in korea was the season beginning, either.

  • crunch (view)

    sut says imanaga getting the home opener at wrigley (game 4 of the season).

  • crunch (view)

    cubs rolling out the who's who of "who the hell is this guy?" in the last spring game.

  • videographer (view)

    AZ Phil, speaking of Jordan Wicks having better command when he tires a bit, I remember reading about Dennis Lamp 40 years ago and his sinker that was better after 3 or 4 innings when he would tire a bit and get more sink with a little less speed on the pitch.  The key for Lamp was getting to the 4th inning.