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, twelve players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors, one player is on the 15-DAY IL, and one player is on the 10-DAY IL

Last updated 4-18-2024

* 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
Jameson Taillon
Keegan Thompson
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

INFIELDERS: 7
* Michael Busch
Garrett Cooper
Nico Hoerner
Nick Madrigal
Christopher Morel
Dansby Swanson
Patrick Wisdom

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Cody Bellinger
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman

OPTIONED: 12
Kevin Alcantara, OF
Michael Arias, P
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF
Jose Cuas, P
Brennen Davis, OF
Porter Hodge, P
* Luke Little, P
* Miles Mastrobuoni, INF
* Matt Mervis, 1B
Daniel Palencia, P
Luis Vazquez, INF
Hayden Wesneski, P

10-DAY IL: 1
Seiya Suzuki, OF

15-DAY IL:
* Justin Steele, P

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

Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft
Minor League Free-Agents

Cease Can't Stop Firing Blanks at AZL Giants

Joey Martarano belted three doubles, knocked in two runs, and scored another, Andruw Monasterio drilled a line-drive RBI triple and a single and walked, and Dylan Cease tossed three innings of perfect baseball (6-3, K, F-8, K, 1-3, K, L-9, F-7, 4-3) and combined with three relievers to hurl a four-hitter, as the AZL Cubs defeated the AZL Giants 6-1 in Arizona League action Friday night at Sloan Park in Mesa, AZ.

While Cease did in fact throw three perfect innings, he also only threw 56% strikes, getting behind on most of the hitters he faced before rallying to put them away.

Shawon Dunston Jr (on Myrtle Beach 7-day DL) continued his AZL rehab, playing the entire game in LF and going 2-4 with a single, a double, and a walk, so he should be just about ready to return to the Pelicans.

After making his pro debut Thursday night with a pinch-hit game-winning two-run double, Cubs 2015 4th round draft pick D. J. Wilson (Canton South HS - Canton, OH) made his first pro game start in Friday night's game, playing CF and hitting lead-off. The 18-year old went 1-4, flying out to RF in the bottom of the 1st inning, drawing a walk, stealing second base, and then scoring the Cubs first run of the game on a Carlos Sepulveda RBI single to short-right in the 3rd (Wilson made a really fine "tight cut" coming around third, which alllowed him to score just ahead of the throw home), used his plus-speed to beat out what should have been a routine 4-3 ground out for an infield single in the 4th, struck out swinging with one out and a runner on 3rd in the 6th, and popped out to the second-baseman in short RF in his final PA in the 8th. He also made a nice running catch in right-centerfield to end the top of the 1st inning. A Vanderbilt recruit, Wilsom received a $1.3M signing bonus (equivalent to "2nd round money") to forgo college in favor of a pro baseball career. He reminds me a bit of Lenny Dykstra, except Wilson has not served time in a federal prison.

After making his pro debut as a pinch-hitter Thursday night (FC), Cubs 2015 16th round pick Michael Foster (Northeastern U.) also made his first pro game start Friday night (he was the Cubs DH), going 1-4 with an RBI single and a run scored. The toolsy Foster was a "two-way player" (RHP/SS) in college, but figures to play CF in pro ball. He was both a champion swimmer and a member of the Candian Junior National baseball team as a teenager, and he majored in chemical engineering at Northeastern, so he's apparently a schmart guy, too.

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

AZL CUBS LINEUP:
1. D. J. Wilson, CF: 1-4 (F-9, BB, 1B, K, P-4, R, SB)
2. Carlos Sepulveda, 2B: 1-5 (K, 1B, 4-6 FC, F-7, F-7, 2 RBI)
3. Shawon Dunston Jr, LF: 2-4 (1B, 2B, L-9, P-4, BB)
4a. Wladimir Galindo, 3B: 2-4 (3-U, K, 1B, 1B, R, CS)
4b. Carlos Jimenez, 3B: 0-1 (K)
5. Alex Bautista, RF: 1-4 (L-9, K, K, 1B, R)
6. Joey Martarano, 1B: 3-4, (2B, 2B, 4-3, 2B, R, 2 RBI)
7. Marcus Mastrobuoni, C: 1-4 (3-U, F-9, 2B, 4-3, R)
8. Michael Foster, DH: 1-4 (3-1, 1B, 6-3, P-4, R, RBI)
9. Andruw Monasterio, SS: 2-3 (K, 1B, 3B, BB, RBI)

AZL CUBS PITCHERS:
1. Dylan Cease: 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 3/3 GO/FO, 39 pitches (22 strikes)
2. Manny Rondon: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 3 K, 1 WP, 5/4 GO/FO, 65 pitches (39 strikes)
3. Luis Hernandez: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 1/0 GO/FO, 15 pitches (11 strikes)
4. Carlos Rodriguez: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 0/3 GO/FO, 12 pitches (6 strikes)

AZL CUBS ERRORS: NONE

Comments

Recent comments

crunch 04/19/2024 - 04:22 pm (view)

happ, right hamstring tightness, day-to-day (hopefully 0 days).

he will be reevaluated tomorrow.
Childersb3 04/19/2024 - 04:11 pm (view)

I guess I'm not looking for that type of AB
Just a difference of opinion
TarzanJoeWallis 04/19/2024 - 04:39 pm (view)

I don’t see Tauchman as a weak link in any position. He simply adds his value in a different way.
I don’t know that we gain much by putting him in the outfield - Happ, Bellinger and Suzuki and Tauchman all field their positions well. If you’re looking for Taucnman’s kind of AB in a particular game I don’t see why it can’t come from DH.
Childersb3 04/19/2024 - 04:54 pm (view)

Tauchman gets a pinch hit RBI single with a liner to RF. This is his spot. He's a solid 4th OF. But he isn't a DH.
He takes pitches. Useful. I still believe in having good hitters.
You don't want your DH to be your weak link (other than your C maybe)
crunch 04/19/2024 - 04:46 pm (view)

bit of a hot take here, but i'm gonna say it.

the 2024 marlins don't seem to be good at doing baseballs.
Dolorous Jon Lester 04/19/2024 - 04:25 pm (view)

Phil, will the call up for a double header restart that 15 days on assignment for a pitcher? Like will wesneski’s 15 days start yesterday, or if he’s the 27th man, will that mean 15 days from tomorrow?
I hope that makes sense. It sounds clearer in my head.
Charlie 04/19/2024 - 04:19 pm (view)

Tauchman obviously brings value to the roster as a 4th outfielder who can and should play frequently. Him appearing frequently at DH indicated that the team lacks a valuable DH.
TarzanJoeWallis 04/19/2024 - 04:06 pm (view)

Totally onboard with your thoughts concerning today’s lineup. Not sure about your take on Tauchman though.
The guy typically doesn’t pound the ball out out of the park, and his BA is quite unimpressive. But he brings something unique to the table that the undisciplined batters of the past didn’t. He always provides a quality at bat and he makes the opposing pitcher work because he has a great eye for the zone and protects the plate with two strikes exceptionally well. In addition to making him a base runner more often than it seems through his walks, that kind of at bat wears a pitcher down both mentally and physically so that the other guys who may hit the ball harder are more apt to take advantage of subsequent mistakes and do their damage.
I can’t remember a time when the Cubs valued this kind of contribution but this year they have a couple of guys doing it, with Happ being the other. It doesn’t make for gaudy stats but it definitely contributes to winning ball games. I do believe that’s why Tauchman has garnered so much playing time.
Arizona Phil 04/19/2024 - 04:43 pm (view)

Miles Mastrobuoni cannot be recalled until he has spent at least ten days on optional assignment, unless he is recalled to replace a position player who is placed on an MLB inactive list (IL, Paternity, Bereavement / Family Medical).

And for a pitcher it's 15 days on optional assignment before he can be recalled, unless he is replacing a pitcher who is placed on an MLB inactive list (IL, Paternity, or Bereavement / Family Medical).

And a pitcher (or a position player, but almost always it's a pitcher) can be recalled as the 27th man for a doubleheader regardless of how many days he has been on optional assignment, but then he must be sent back down again the next day.

That's why the Cubs had to wait as long as they did to send Jose Cuas down and recall Keegan Thompson. Thompson needed to spend the first 15 days of the MLB regular season on optional assignment before he could be recalled (and he spent EXACTLY the first 15 days of the MLB regular season on optional assignment before he was recalled).
Dolorous Jon Lester 04/19/2024 - 04:51 am (view)

Indeed they do TJW!
For the record I’m not in favor of solely building a team through paying big to free agents. But I’m also of the mind that when you develop really good players, get them signed to extensions that buy out a couple years of free agency, including with team options. And supplement the home grown players with free agent splashes or using excess prospects to trade for stars under team control for a few years. Sort of what Atlanta does, basically. Everyone talks about the dodgers but I feel that Atlanta is the peak organization at the current moment.
That said, the constant roster churn is very Rays- ish. What they do is incredible, but it’s extremely hard to do which is why they’re the only ones frequently successful that employ that strategy. I definitely do not want to see a large market team like ours follow that model closely. But I don’t think free agent frenzies is always the answer. It’s really only the Dodgers that play in that realm. I could see an argument for the Mets too. The Yankees don’t really operate like that anymore since the elder Steinbrenner passed. Though I would say the reigning champions built a good deal of that team through free agent spending.