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

AFL Set to Expand Schedule in 2019

With many MLB organizations curtailing or (as is the case with the Cubs) completely eliminating Fall Instructs, there are plans afoot to expand the Arizona Fall league (AFL) schedule in 2019 from the present six weeks (30 games) to eight weeks (40 games). If implemented, the 2019 AFL season would begin two weeks earlier than it does now (the last week of September instead of the second week in October),  

Because there is presently about a four-week gap between the end of the minor league season and the start of the AFL season, players assigned to the AFL have to spend a week to ten days at their parent MLB organization's minor league facility in Florida or Arizona getting back into playing shape before reporting to their AFL team. It is presumed that starting the AFL season two weeks earlier and closer to the end of the minor league season would eliminate the need for players to prepare for the AFL by attending Fall Instructs and playing in Instructs games. 

What is not (yet) on the table is expansion of the AFL from six to ten teams. At present only six of the ten Cactus League Spring Training stadiums (Camelback Ranch, Mesa Sloan, Peoria, Salt River at Talking Stick, Scottsdale, and Surprise) are used by the AFL, but three of the other four stadiums (Mesa HoHoKam, Phoenix Maryvale, and Tempe Diablo) have hosted AFL teams in the past, and the fourth (Goodyear) could easily host a team as well. Expanding from six to ten teams would mean that three (rather than five) MLB organizations would be affiliated with each of the AFL teams, with each club sending seven or eight pitchers and five or six position players to their AFL affiliate instead of four pitchers and three or four position players as is the case now. 

Prior to 2017 most of the clubs with a Spring Training base in Arizona participated in what was called "AZ Advanced Instructs" (AKA the "Junior AFL"), a league that was created for players who could not get a slot in the AFL because of roster limitations (the Cubs fielded an AZ Advanced Instructs "co-op" team with the Angels). But the league was disbanded in 2017 as clubs began to cut-back Fall Instructs operations, leaving players who are too advanced for "basic" instructs no place to get additional coaching and game experience. Expanding the AFL (and thus creating more AFL slots for each MLB organization) would help make-up for the loss of Advanced Instructs.

It should be noted that over the past two or three years the eligibilty rules for the AFL have been relaxed, allowing more international players and players with no experience above Lo-A (like Cubs 2018 1st round draft pick SS Nico Hoerner) to participate.

Comments

Would startinng the AFL in September provide any rehab opportunities for MLB players who are ready to come off the DL but miss the end of the minor league season, or would the rules prevent that (I know Schwarber was able to somehow)?

[ ]

In reply to by bradsbeard

BRADSBEARD:  A player cannot be assigned to the AFL on an Article XIX-C Minor League Injury Rehabilitation Assignment, but a player can be assigned to the AFL after he has been reinstated from the DL.

So even with the AFL moving up the start of the season two weeks (which would be one week prior to the conclusion of the MLB regular season), a player on an MLB DL will not be able to play in the AFL unless and until the player is reinstated from the DL. (Up until a couple or three years ago, a player was not eligible to play in the AFL if he was on an MLB or minor league DL as of August 1st or was placed on an MLB or minor league DL after August 1st, but that was one of several AFL eligiblity rules that have been relaxed or just plain eliminated).   

Here is how Kyle Schwarber was able to play (albeit very briefly) in the AFL in 2016:  

1. OCTOBER 22: Schwarber is reinstated from the Cubs MLB 60-day DL, LHP Giovanni Soto is Designated for Assignment to make room on the 40 for Schwarber, and Schwarber is assigned to the AFL Mesa Solar Sox "Taxi Squad"; 
2. OCTOBER 22 & 24: Schwarber serves as DH for the Mesa Solar Sox (two games); 
3. OCTOBER 25: After serving as a DH in two AFL games, Schwarber is flown from Scottsdale Airport in Arizona to Cleveland via private jet just in time to be placed on the Cubs World Series Active List (25-man roster) prior to the start of Game #1.  

In order for Schwarber to be eligible to play in the AFL and then in the World Series, he could not be replaced on the Cubs 2016 Post-Season Eligibility List by another player prior to the start of the NLDS or NLCS. Fortunately the Cubs kept their options open and did not replace Schwarber with another player, even though it was pretty much assumed that he was out for the year and would not be able to play in the post-season. 

If there is an expansion of the league, will teams be able to have more players on their roster?

[ ]

In reply to by Hagsag

HAGSAG: Expanding from six to ten teams would mean that three (rather than five) MLB organizations would be affiliated with each of the AFL teams, with each club sending seven or eight pitchers and five or six position players to their AFL affiliate instead of four pitchers and three or four position players as is the case now. 

If it's just a schedule expansion (which at this point is all that is likely to happen in 2019), AFL rosters will probably have to be expanded so that each of the five MLB clubs that contribute players to a particular AFL team would send five pitchers instead of four. Attrition of pitching would be the biggest problem if the schedule is expanded from six weeks to eight weeks and from 30 games to 40. 

braves prospect braxton davidson hurt his foot jumping around on his way to home plate after a walkoff homer in the AFL championship game.  he had to be helped off the field, unable to put any weight on his foot.

doh.

also, this year's AFL all-star game and championship game were A+ stuff.

yanks pick up james paxton for the 1st big trade of the off-season.

yanks and rsox are gonna beat the crap out of each other on the way to the playoffs next year.

didn't come cheap...justus sheffield + more on the way to the M's.

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.