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 @ Atlanta: Darvish vs. Fried (Game 6)

CHC (1-4): RHP Yu Darvish (0-1)

ATL (2-3): LHP Max Fried (0-0)

First pitch 6:20pmCST

 

The first two games of my tenure as gameday poster haven't gone well. So, in lieu of writing the post myself, I forced a bot to watch what has felt like 1000 hours of Cubs baseball and had it script out a game. Here's a sample:

 

EXT. BASEBALL FIELD

We see FRIENDLY BASEBALL PLAYERS. They are wearing PAJAMAS FOR MUSCULAR MEN.

An EVIL PLAYER holding an OBLONG PIECE OF WOOD and wearing a HEADSHELL walks to home plate.

FRIENDLY PITCHER 1

I am ready to compete. My team has forgotten past failures.

FRIENDLY PLAYER 2 wiggles his FINGERS. EVIL PLAYER 1 swings his OBLONG WOOD and hits the BASEBALL.

FRIENDLY OUTFIELDER 1

The baseball is full of malice and I am afraid.

FRIENDLY OUTFIELDER 2

I am unable to help you because I must stay in my corner.

COACH

I believe in you. People will blame me for your failures.

FRIENDLY INFIELDER 1

Do not worry, friend. We will help later with our OBLONG WOOD.

FRIENDLY RELIEF PITCHERS (dancing ruefully)

We will also be present later.

The EVIL PLAYER circles the bases. He is compelled by the universe and cannot stop.

 

I am not current with my memes.

Anyway, there's another game tonight. Raise your hopes at your own risk!

Comments

high quality pre-game content right there.  10/10.  A+.

the hope for victory is today's desire.

almora/bryant/rizzo/baez/contreras/bote(2nd)/schwarber/darvish/zang

Iowa roster announced.

Pitchers: Robinson,Rea,Swarmer,Underwood,Maples,Norwood,Mekkes,Wick,Ryan,Collins,Carasiti,Webster,Duensing.

Catchers:

Davis,Arcia

Infielders:

Adduci,Giambrone,Short,Adames,Evans,Machado.

Outfielders:

Dewees,Happ,Field,Borenstein

Baldonado and Bernard on IR

We will have to check with Phil to see if any of: Tseng, Clifton,Tazawa,Markey,Kontos,Markey,Black, Hultzman,E. Castillo,or Hannemann are still in camp.

HAGSAG: The only player unaccounted for right now is RHRP George Kontos.

He was absolutely, positively, definitely on the Iowa roster this morning - AFTER - players were moved to the Eugene roster and to the 7-day and 60-day injured lists, and so Iowa had 26 players on its Active List just prior to the Cubs releasing the I-Cubs Opening Day 25-man roster (which then all of a sudden did - NOT - include Kontos), so he may have been released sometime today (TBD). 

it's one thing to play crap baseball, it's another to do it while you're playing in the park where "the tommy hawk chawp" plays for at least 2 hours per game.

AZ PHIL - Have the Cubs released anymore players now that the rosters are starting to get "set"?  I may have missed some, but I think the last one I see posted on here was Rob Z and the handful that included Singleton (was pulling for him, family shooting story etc) and Austin Fillire (sp?) who was the MIT future Moneyball GM grad that I thought would be interesting.  I may have missed any other cuts though.

[ ]

In reply to by cubbies.4ever

cubbies.4ever: The Cubs haven't released anybody since March 28th, although George Kontos may have been released yesterday (TBD).

Otherwise the Cubs are retaining extra minor league players by either assigning them to the Eugene reserve list (while they physically remain with their respective full-season club), or place them on an injured list at Iowa, Tennessee. Myrtle Beach, or South Bend (and some of those players are remaining with their full-season club as well, while others are at the UAPC in Mesa). 

There is no roster restriction related to minor league service time for the short-season affiliates until July 1st and the Eugene reserve list isn't needed for other players (players who were at Extended Spring Training and 2019 June draft picks) until NWL Opening Day in mid-June, so it just requires a couple of strokes of a keyboard to temporariliy move a player from the Iowa, Tennessee, Myrtle Beach, or South Bend roster to the Eugene reserve list even though the player doesn't actually go anywhere.   

And again, I say "temporarily" move a player to the Eugene reserve list, because minor league service time restrictions for short-season leagues go into effect on July 1st. 

So right now the Eugene reserve list is functioning as a sort of unofficial inactive list for the four full-season affiliates.  

The pen was brutal (to put it nicely) again tonight.  Edwards 3G 1.0IP (and he's not a one batter specialist) 45.00 ERA.

The first day that a player on an MLB 40-man roster who was optioned to the minors prior to MLB Opening Day and who is not replacing a player placed onto an MLB inactive list (Injured List, Paternity Leave List, etc) can be recalled is this coming Sunday (the 11th day of the MLB regular season), so it's possible that Edwards and/or Rosario (the two pitchers in the Cubs pen with "usable" options) could be exchanged for one or two other relievers on Sunday or Monday, but it won't (can't) happen today or tomorrow, unless somebody on the 25 goes on an inactive list.  

Recent comments

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    There are two clear "logjams" in the Cubs minor league pipeline at the present time, namely AA outfielders (K. Alcantara, C. Franklin, Roederer, Pagan, Pinango, Beesley, and Nwogu) and Hi-A infielders (J. Rojas, P. Ramirez, Howard, R. Morel, Pertuz, R. Garcia, and Spence, although Morel has been getting a lot of reps in the outfield in addition to infield). So it is possible that you might see a trade involving one of the extra outfielders at AA and/or one of the extra infielders at Hi-A in the next few days. 

  • 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...