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

Cubs @ Pirates: Hendricks vs Brault (Game 138)

CHC (75-62): RHP Kyle Hendricks (6-4, 3.32)  
PIT (66-72): LHP Steven Brault (0-0, 5.93) 
First pitch: 6:05pmCST

Hendricks won his second straight game on Thursday against Atlanta (6.2 IP, 1 ER, 5 K, 3 BB) after having not won since May. He’s 2-1 with a 2.31 in 8 starts since his return. 

Kyle is 1-1 with a 2.45 in two starts against the Pirates this season. Overall, they are 39-155 (.252) against him. Polanco is 9-22 with a HR.

Brault is in for Nova and making his first start of the season. The Cubs tagged him for 4 ER in an inning of relief last week at Wrigley. They are 13-33 (.394) against him, for their careers. Bryant is 3-4 with a HR, and Heyward is 3-6.

Quintana (9-11) and Cole (11-9) continue the series tomorrow at 6:05pmCST.

Go Cubs!

Comments

"According to Michael Schmidt of the New York Times, the Red Sox have been caught stealing catcher signs from the Yankees and other opponents using an Apple Watch." that part of the world sure does like cheating at sports.

Day off for Rizz....so, naturally, Zobrist and his .700 OPS hit cleanup. Okey-dokey. A complete list of position players with an OPS below Zobrist's: 1. Mike Freeman 2. Nobody else A complete list of position players with a higher OPS than Zobrist: 1. Everybody except Mike Freeman Even better -- Zobrist's OPS as a RH batter: .601. I think Joe's iPad has been hacked.

I think Joe's iPad has been hacked. ---------------------------------------------- Infamous Russian hacker. Username Zobie18.

unless arrieta had a late appointment for his MRI, it's a bit concerning they're still "waiting" on the results.

Dammit Joe!!! Every time CJ goes back out after finishing an inning, he struggles. EVERY TIME! Doesn't matter how many pitches he threw. Bring him in from the pen, get some outs, then take him out of the damn game. Put that in your iPad, please.

that was quick. Cubs never seem to follow a big win streak with just a loss...they just start playing bad baseball. 1-8 with RISP, bad relief...gah. The Cardinals, who were left for dead 3 days ago, are going to be right back in the division race.

[ ]

In reply to by blockhead25

This is why the Cubs got Justin Wilson. He was supposed to provide the final piece to the bullpen puzzle, the reliable 8th inning guy who can close when Wade Davis isn't available. If there is any one thing that has gone wrong lately that could screw everything up for the Cubs, it's The Strange Case of Justin Wilson.

This one's on Maddon. Know your damn players. Edwards can't go back out and get people out. He simply can't. Maybe the leadoff walk was a clue? Most of the out he got were on the bases. Terrible game by Maddon.

[ ]

In reply to by blockhead25

Nope. Don't know. I just know every time Joe sends him back out, I always say it's a bad idea, and it always is. But, on a brighter side -- Scooter Gennet with a 3-run shot to put the Reds up 7-1 on the Brewers. And, I'm sure our old friend Travis will shut down the Cards and drive in a few runs for us tonight.

"Jake Arrieta has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 strain of his right hamstring." looks like he'll miss a start, maybe 2. also, contreras is going to play a rehab game with the high-A club thursday. hopefully he'll be back soon (friday/saturday).

Brewers last 6 series: Beat Rockies, Dodgers and Nationals, split with Cardinals, and lose to Giants and Reds (possibly get swept by Reds). Even by baseball standards, that's pretty goofy. Looks like Travis will need to hit a couple grand slams to help us out. Gave up 5 in 2 IP. EDIT: As I typed the last letter, he hit a 2-run bomb. Baseball!

18 year old OF Nelson Velazquez (Cubs 2017 5th round draft pick - PJ Education School - Carolina, PR) hit another moonshot HR Tuesday night at Scottsdale Stadium in the 9th inning of the first game of the AZL Championship Series between the AZL Cubs and the AZL Giants. (The Cubs scored nine runs over the final three innings to win 10-4 and take a 1-0 lead in the best two-out-of-three series). 

The place was absolutely electric from the first pitch, not because of the "fans" (they stayed quiet like always, and most of the spectators were scouts anyway), but because of the energy from the two benches. The players on the bench were as animated and raucous as any crowd you'd ever see at a baseball game, yelling and even singing and dancing at various points in the game (especially the Cubs players when they scored five times with two outs in the top of the 8th).   

Just to get into the AZL playoffs, the Cubs had to win 13 of their final 15 games, and even then they only made it by one game. And now they have won their first three AZL playoff games, so they have won 16 of the last 18 games. 

And the story behind the story is Nelson Velazquez. In his last 18 AZL games (77 PA) including regular season & post-season, Velazquez has hit 297/416/703 (that's an 1.119 OPS), with 7 HR & 15 RBI, 19 RUNS, 3 2B, and 1 3B, 4 SB (2 CS), 12 BB (16% walk rate), 1 HBP, and 26 K  (34% K-rate). Without Velazquez, the AZL Cubs are NOT in the playoffs. Simple as that. 

To get an idea of the gravitas of what he has been doing lately, if you pro-rate those numbers out over a 144-game minor league "full season" you get 56 HR, 120 RBI, 152 RUNS, 24 doubles, eight triples, 32 SB (16 CS), 96 walks, 8 HBP, and 208 strikeouts.

Velazquez has suddenly turned into a beast. It's like Sammy Sosa circa 1998. 

Velazquez is a five-tool outfielder who is built like a college running back (plus-speed but with a thick lower half), and he actually hits home runs in games (not just in BP), and most of the dingers have been absolute bombs. He strikes out a LOT, and he needs work on his defense in CF (although he probably has enough range and arm to play there once he gets the rough edges smoothed out), but the potential is definitely there 

And (probably not too surpringly) Nelson Velazquez has been named Cubs Minor League Player of the Month for August. 

[ ]

In reply to by tim815

TIM: No question Cam Balego is on fire right now.

BTW, I wouldn't be surprised if Balego goes through the catcher conversion program in the neat-future (at Instructs and/or at EXST). He is built like a catcher, he moves pretty well, he has a plus-arm, and he clearly has leadership qualities.  

I also would not be surprised if OF Kwangmin Kwon is converted to a LHP at some point. 

[ ]

In reply to by Dolorous Jon Lester

DJL: Kwon continues to struggle to make contact. He has above-average speed and a plus-arm and while he has HR power in BP (he won the HR Derby at Instructs post-2015), it doesn't show up in games. He is a somewhat passive hitter who seems to get fooled a lot. And he could show a bit more alertness on the bases, too.

For example, he probably could have scored the go-ahead run in the top of the 7th inning last night if he had just hustled from 3rd to home on what was a 3-2 tag-play inning-ending DP. (The Giants 1st baseman fielded a ground ball and stepped on first-base before throwing the ball home).   

Kwon is a laid-back, popular, good-natured kid (he's the type of guy who gets razzed a lot by his teammates because he takes it so well). I just don't know how much longer the Cubs will stick with him as a position-player, but I don't think they would release him before he gets a trial as a LHP. 

Red Sox beat Toronto 3-2 in 19 innings, using 12 pitchers to do so. My son is a junior at Boston College, and one of his professors cancelled class this morning because he stayed up to watch all 19 innings. Not a great use of tuition money, but you have to respect the dedication.

Recent comments

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    For sure. This lineup isn’t exactly stacked as is, and subbing out a Cooper or even a Tauchman for Madrigal won’t do it any favors.

  • crunch (view)

    the ESPN bottom graphic taking up 1/8th of the screen sucks.

    i only use ESPN during baseball season and i'm forced to watch a baseball broadcast designed to be broadcast in sports bars and betting parlors where the news/scores of other games is as important as what you're actually tuned in to watch.

  • crunch (view)

    morel triple to start the season....yeaaaaaaaaaaaaah

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    LHP Blake Weiman appears to have been the last cut from the AAA Iowa roster. He is with the Tennessee group at Minor League Camp.

     

  • crunch (view)

    bruce bochy is hobbling rather badly for a guy who's had 2 hip replacements.  his gait is extremely wonky taking the lineup card to the ump.

  • 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.