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

Nationals @ Cubs: Jackson vs Lackey (Game 109)

Submitted by CTSteve on

WAS (64-43): RHP Edwin Jackson (2-1, 3.75)
CHC (57-51): RHP John Lackey (8-9, 4.87) 
First pitch: 1:20pmCST

The good news is we get to face Edwin Jackson. The bad news is that there’s a very real possibility that this team will not beat Edwin Jackson. At least we’re not still paying him. After three appearances with the Orioles and the inevitable DFA, Jackson was scraped up by the Nationals--his fifth team since getting booted from the Cubs. In three starts for Dusty, he’s 2-1 with a 2.84. In other words, he’s due to return to form. The Cubs are 30-94 (.319) against him. Avila is 8-23.

Lackey gave up 2 ER over 6 innings to win his third straight game. He’s 3-0 with a 3.27 in August. That’ll work. Overall, the Nats are 62-205 (.302) against him. Werth is 7-18 with a HR.

Lester (8-6) and Fedde (0-1) close out the series tomorrow at the same time.

Go Cubs!

Tags
2017 Season Game Thread

Comments

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 08:28 am

I am presuming that Tommy LaStella will be recalled from AAA Iowa in the next day or two once the Cubs bullpen situation/workload has settled down a bit, at which point Rob Zastryzny will very likely be optioned back to Iowa. 

Beginning on Sunday August 13th, any player on an MLB 40-man roster who has minor league options left and who has not been opltioned to the minors previously during the season can be optioned to the minors without using a minor league option year, as long the player spends no more than 19 days on optional assignment to the minors (meaning a player optioned to the minors on 8/13 could be recalled on 9/1 when MLB Active Lists expand).  

This comes into play with the Cubs because Addison Russell will be eligible to be reinstated from the 10-day DL on 8/13, and so LaStella could remain with the Cubs after Russell is reinstated (presuming Russell is reinstated after ten days) while another position player like Ian Happ or Albert Almora could be optioned to the minors for 19 days and then recalled on 9/1, with no minor league option spent in 2017.  

Also, the Cubs will likely add pitchers and position players to their MLB Active List and (in some cases) to their MLB 40-man roster to augment their bullpen and bench when MLB active lists expand in September. However, calling up players who are not already on the MLB 40-man roster would require removing as many players from the 40 as are added, since the Cubs MLB 40-man roster is full. 

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Submitted by Arizona Phil on Mon, 08/07/2017 - 08:00 am

CHILDERSB3: Aramis Ademan is probably the Cubs #2 position player prospect right now. I have seen him in Mesa two different years and several different times, at Extended Spring Training in 2016, at AZ Instructs post-2016, and then at Minor League Camp and Extended Spring Training in 2017, and he is the rare five-tool shortstop. He has the arm and range to stay at SS and he has the knack for making the big play and timely defensive stop when his team really needs it, he has above-average speed and is a savvy baserunner, he has outstanding bat on ball skills and a good feel for the strike zone, he makes hard contact, and he has XBH and HR power (I saw him pull a home run onto the south bank of the Loop 202 Red Mountain Freeway in an EXST Cactus League game in 2016 when he was only 17). Ademan jumped over AZL and went directly to Eugene this season after hitting 270/337/371 in 98 PA (28 Cactus League games) at EXST and then he got moved-up to South Bend about a week ago, and he will likely be assigned to the Cubs Advanced Instructs team post-2017 before (probably) heading to Myrtle Beach in 2018, so it should be fairly obvious that Ademan is on the fast track, and - AS THINGS STAND RIGHT NOW - he projects to be the eventual replacement for Addison Russell at shortstop (if he doesn't get traded in the meantime). Ademan is the real deal.  

D. J. Wilson played both baseball and football in HS and was all set to go to Vanderbilt before the Cubs gave him 1st round money to sign after drafting him out of South Canton HS in the 4th round in 2015. He reminds me a bit of Lenny Dykstra, in that he plays CF and runs the bases like his hair is on fire, and he has above-average HR power for a guy 5'8. The main problem with Wilson (besides being a tad over-aggressive from time-to-time) is that he is a streaky hitter and he sometimes struggles to make contact and then he expands his strike zone, but he can mash when he gets into a groove. He is not an elite defensive CF like Albert Almora and Trey Martin are, but he is good enough to stay there. One scout told me that he thought Wilson would never be anything more than a 4th OF at the big league level because of his below-average "hit tool," but the Cubs Player Development people think he will hit and that he will be a front-line major league CF. Time will tell. He will likely join Ademan on the Cubs Advanced Instructs team post-2017 and then open the 2018 season in CF at Myrtle Beach. 

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Submitted by Childersb3 on Mon, 08/07/2017 - 08:53 am

Thanks AZP. So, we still have one more real SS prospect. That's honestly amazing considering how many have already come before him (Castro, Baez, Russell, Torres, Paredes). That's a pretty impressive streak of MLB SS players/prospects.

Submitted by crunch on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 08:10 pm

3 losses in a row and a "normal" lineup rather than a maddon panic lineup of weirdness. good for him. i was kinda expecting the pitcher hitting 6th, rizzo leading off, arrieta in RF batting 2nd, etc. needs more mimes and penguins.

Submitted by QuietMan on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 08:05 pm

Pirates still making moves. Traded for Sean Rodriguez and claimed reliever George Kontos today.

Submitted by Eric S on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 08:32 pm

Only one run surrendered - Javy's throwing error did not help, but looking forward to Wilson's first relief appearance with the Cubs where a run doesn't score

Submitted by crunch on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 08:54 pm

heyward drops below .700 OPS for the first time in about a month. he had a nice little streak, but then it died out. .304 ob% .387 slg% ugg. at least he's still benefiting from WAR formulas that over-weighs outfield D...as if getting a D whiz that can't bat worth a damn is something unable to be found in the minors rather than something teams generally don't want to screw with handing 600+ PA a year. yes, he's far above average, but his 2 chances a game are a bit out of whack vs his supposed "replacement level" peer. i don't get it. he's not supposed to be this bad even though he's a kinda boring hitter even at his best. what has happened the last 2 seasons? it's not injury...it's not age/abuse... *shrug* i've read a lot about it and seen a lot of it happen in front of me, but it's kinda crazy he's not dug himself out of this hole.

Submitted by billybucks on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 08:48 pm

Having Zobrist and Heyward both in the lineup with their sub-.700 OBPs is a killer, particularly when Zobrist hits anywhere other than leadoff. His bat looks dead. At least Hayward gives you defense and base running.

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Submitted by crunch on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 08:23 pm

i still believe heyward is better than this, but im running out of ways to believe he can get better and i can't see anything he's doing "wrong" at the plate as much as he just looks weak at the plate. at least that's something. it seems he could "turn it around" without actually doing anything major to turn it around. hard to believe he's peaked at such a young age. he doesn't have far to fall from "good" to "meh" when he's a .350-ish ob%, 30 double, 10-15 homer guy, but i'd settle for anything near that rather than what we've got the past year and 2/3rd out of him.

Recent comments

  • Sonicwind75 (view)

    I suspect Brown will spend some time in the bullpen due to inning restrictions.  Pitched only 93 innings last year and career high is 104 innings in 2022.  I would expect them to be cautious with a young player with his injury history.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    I wanted Almonte gone last week, but that was before Merryweather went down and Little got demoted. Almonte in his last 5 appearances has gone 4.1 IP with no ER or Runs. NO hits, 3 BBs and 8 SO. He did hit 96 with his 2S FB in AZ on Tues.
    I don't see Jed waiving him when we have injuries all over and guys with options that can be sent down.
    I probably won't like the move Jed makes, but he can't play the "let's hope no one wants his 1.7mil remaining deal and we can hide him in Iowa" card.
    That's why I think the current Bullpen stays as is and Wicks goes to Iowa.
    I don't like that, but that's the fix I see.
    We'll find out soon enough!!!

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Teheran minor league deal is done, per MLB.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Based on Phil’s sound analysis it sounds like a no brainer for Almonte to be placed on waivers as today’s roster move. We shall see.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    I suspect Counsell/Hottovy will use the piggy-back extensively, with Taillon and Hendricks pitching as the "pig" (and with a very short leash) and some combo of Wicks, Brown, and Wesneski (whichever two do not start) as the "backers."  

    Keep in mind that Keegan Thompson has a minor league option available, and if Yency Almonte is not outrighted by 4/26 he cannot be sent to the minors without his consent after that date. Almonte is out of minor league options, so I am talking about him getting outrighted to the minors if he is not claimed off waivers, and if he is claimed off waivers, the Cubs save the pro-rated portion of his $1.9M salary, which helps lower the Cubs 2024 AAV.

  • 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?

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