Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full), plus one player is 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 3-28-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 13
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
* 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: 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 

10-DAY IL: 1 
Patrick Wisdom, INF 

15-DAY IL: 1 
Jameson Taillon, P 

60-DAY IL: 1 
Caleb Kilian, P 

 



 

Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Cubs @ Dodgers: Series Thread (Games 68-71)

Just as the Cubs acclimate to the atmosphere at Coors, they skip off to Cally for a four-game set against the dangerous Dodgers. Having pitched a gem in the stopper role on Wednesday, Hamels will take his place in the cheering section for this one, and the rest of the rotation will get a chance to show their stuff. Good news for them is that the first three of the series will be night games, which may help them keep the ball in the yard. Quintana will have to work his way through the Sunday afternoon game. The bad news for everyone is that the Dodgers feature the most productive offense without a DH (ahead of the Cubs, who are now second in the NL in wRC+). On the other side of the ball, the LA squad may have the best defense in all of baseball, and their pitching is near the top in the NL. With the Dodgers (45-23) leading the NL in wins, any match with them will look like a post-season preview, as long as the other team is contending. The Cubs (38-29) come into the series 0.5 behind Milwaukee.

Matchups after the break.


Game 68, Thursday, 9:10pmCDT
CHC: LHP Jon Lester (5-4, 3.56 ERA)
LAD: LHP Clayton Kershaw (5-1, 3.00 ERA)

Lester pitched six innings for a the win against STL last time out, allowing four earned runs including a pair of homers. Most of the younger Dodgers have decent numbers against Lester in limited at bats, while Justin Turner is 0-20 against him.

Clayton Kershaw has been a tick less effective this season compared to the last two (both of which were well below his peak years), although he still maintains some intimidating numbers. His average fastball is all the way down to 90.5 MPH, perhaps unsurprising as the most recent phase of his career has been about working through and around injuries. After increasing his slider usage each of the last three years, Kershaw's apparently decided that throwing it 40% of the time is just the right amount. Last time out he allowed two earned runs in seven innings and was tagged with his first loss. Anthony Rizzo is 6-16 off of him with two homeruns. CarGo has not enjoyed his 47 at bats against the lefty, resulting in an OPS against of .686. Most Cubs have fewer than ten at-bats against him.


Game 69, Friday, 9:10pmCDT
CHC: RHP Kyle Hendricks (7-3, 3.00 ERA)
LAD: LHP Rich Hill (3-1, 2.40 ERA)

Hendricks was excellent against the Cards, going 7 and allowing one earned run. He was a slightly more extreme version of his usual self, collecting only three strikeouts and working around eight hits (and 0 walks). Current Dodgers are 12-41 off of him with four homeruns and four walks. You may remember that he pitched a fairly important game against them back in 2016 and the Cubs ultimately did OK in that one.

After missing most of April, the former Cub, Hill, has been excellent in eight starts. He recently earned a victory against the Giants, going five and allowing two earned runs. As per usual, he's striking out more than a batter per inning and relies on his curveball over 40% of the time (slightly more than in the previous two years). Something to look out for: Hill only threw the ball in the zone 37.2% of the time in his last start, down from his season average at 59.7%. Current Cubs are 3-22 off of him.


Game 70: Saturday, 8:10pmCDT
CHC: RHP Yu Darvish (2-3, 4.98 ERA)
LAD: RHP Walker Buehler (7-1, 3.35 ERA)

Darvish got a no decision Colorado after six innings pitched and four earned runs; it's better than I would have feared when you put the words "Darvish" and "Coors" in the same sentence. He was hurt by two homeruns in the game. Current Dodgers are 5-22 off of him, a collection that excludes some of the better youngsters--most notably Bellinger.

Walker Buehler is dang good. He pitched seven scoreless against the Giants last time out, striking out nine. His fastball usually sits mid-to-high nineties, and he complements it with strong breaking pitches. He's an ace type that gets grounders and strikeouts without walking many. The Cubs are 11-40 off of him. Almora and Baez have homered. CarGo is 3-12 with five strikeouts.


Game 71, Sunday, 6:10pmCDT
CHC: LHP Jose Quintana (4-6, 3.89 ERA)
LAD: LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (9-1, 1.36 ERA)

Quintana only got through 4.1 innings in Denver, and he allowed four runs (three earned) while taking the loss. He's lost three of his last four, giving up 13 earned runs in 21.1 innings pitched. Current Dodgers are 21-72 off of him, but only David Freese has double digit at bats.

Ryu's missed a bunch of time to injury 2015-2016 and in 2018. It's been easy to forget just how good he's been when healthy. So far, he's stepped his game up in 2019. Still, there's some hope for regression, as his .248 BABIP is almost .050 below his career mark. It's hard to imagine someone suppressing hits this well while also allowing just over half a walk per nine innings. Only three current Cubs have more than three at bats against him. CarGo is 5-15 with a homer and three walks. Rizzo is 3-9 with a homer. Heyward is 3-12.

Comments

late game tonight (thursday)

if anyone is bored before the game starts, the tigers and royals are playing the first MLB game in Nebraska (omaha).

schwarber / bryant(RF) / rizzo / baez / contreras / almora / russell(2nd) / lester / bote(3rd)

Cubs closer (in waiting) Craig Kimbrel threw in a three-inning "live" BP/sim-game at Sloan Park (in the stadium) Thursday afternoon. 

Wearing #24, Kimbrel threw one inning (24 pitches - 15 strikes), facing five batters and striking out three (all swinging), issued no walks, and two balls were put into play (a hard-contact line drive to the outfield & a soft-contact two-hopper to first-base). There were also four foul balls hit into the 1st & 3rd base grandstands. 

Cubs 2017 1st round draft pick LHSP Brendon Little (three innings - 54 pitches) and LHRP Conor Lillis-White (one inning - 23 pitches) also threw in the game. (Lillis-White was acquired from the Angels as the PTBNL in the Tommy LaStella trade, but he has been on the AA Tennessee IL since Opening Day and has been in the Rehab Throwing Program since the start of Spring Training).  

Little (on South Bend 7-day IL with a lat strain suffered in his first "live" BP of Minor League Camp in March) continues to impress, throwing a high-percentage of strikes (75%), and getting swings & misses with both his CV and CH, while maintaining 92-94 velo on his FB through all three innings of work. He also worked - VERY - fast. 

It was a combo "live" BP/sim game because while there were no fielders or base-runners, balls & strikes were called, and batters rotated after either striking out, drawing a walk, getting hit by a pitch, or putting the ball into play. 

ohtani hits for the cycle!

what an exciting player.  i can't wait until he's pitching again.  he's been on fire lately after a boring, but not bad start.

1st pitch, schwarb HR.

cubs on pace for infinity runs in this game.  great for stats, but the game will never end.

Do you think Lester was injured by the ball off his foot, or did he just loose it?

lester's last 6 starts...

32ip 43h 9bb 30k, 9hr, 7.59era

he gave up 4-7 earned runs in 5 of those starts, 1 earned in another.

schwarber / bryant / rizzo / baez / contreras / almora / heyward / hendricks / russell

MIL also playing a late west coast game.

kimbrel plan allegedly includes a saturday pen sim session vs live batters in ARZ then off to AAA for 5(ish) appearances.

almora out of the game after ringing his skull a bit on a leaping catch at the wall (after montgomery loaded the bases with 3 walks in a row).

he smacked it pretty good based on how he looked afterwards...no idea if he'll be under concussion protocol.

I’ve been at both games so far in LA and I am starting to think my presence is a jinx. I’m hoping bringing my two year old son will be a counter-jinx because he is way cooler than me. 6pm PST start time tomorrow and 4pm on Sunday means he won’t be up too late.

k.hendricks to the 10-day IL with "right shoulder inflamation"

maaaaaaaaaaaaaaan...

rowan wick up because whatever.

darvish pitching the best game of his cubs career after 7ip...and losing 0-1.

7ip 2h 1bb 10k, 1r/er

the cubs need a break.

RIZZO!!!!

2r HR off jansen in the 9th!  cubs lead 2-1!

[ ]

In reply to by Sonicwind75

 I was watching the golf waiting for the Cubs to start and of course I fell asleep and then I had the weirdest dream.  The Cubs were getting no hit but Darvish was pitching really well and then Jansen blew a save and then Strop actually closed the game out without a guy getting into scoring position.  It's not like any of that stuff except the no hitter part could happen.

As of today (6/16), Daniel Descalso and Brad Brach no longer have Article XX-B "no trade" rights and so they can be traded without restriction. 

If Ben Zobrist were to return to baseball sometime in the next few weeks or next couple of months, keep in mind that he does have a minor league option left, so he (like Craig Kimbrel) could consent to an Optional Assignment to the minors to get into playing shape. 

You may remember that both Addison Russell and Oscar de la Cruz had roster-exempt minor league conditioning assignments prior to being reinstated from the Restricted List earlier this season, but roster-exempt minor league conditioning assignments are only available to players who are on the Restricted List after being suspended by MLB for violation of the MLB-MLBPA JDPTP or JDV policies.

So Zobrist would have to be optioned to the minors before he could play in games at Iowa or Tennessee.

Also, if Zobrist were to return to the Cubs sometime this season prior to September 1st (when Active List rosters expand), a position player would have to be dropped. As of right now that would appear to be either Daniel Descalso or Carlos Gonzalez.

If the Cubs were to release Descalso they would be on the hook for what remains of his multi-year contract (the balance of his $1.5M 2019 salary, plus his $2.5M salary in 2020, and the $1M buy-out for 2021, offset in 2019 and 2020 by the pro-rated MLB minimum salary if he were to sign a major league contract with another MLB club after being released).  

If the Cubs release Gonzalez they are on the hook for what remains of the MLB minimum salary for the 2019 season (the Cubs are only paying Cargo the MLB minimum salary because he was signed by the Cubs after he was released by CLE), offset to zero if another club signs him to a major league contract (with the pro-rated MLB minimum salary) after he is released. 

So if Zobrist returns and a position-player has to go, it would clearly be cheaper to release Gonzalez, but the Cubs might decide that Cargo has more to offer the Cubs in 2019 than what Descalso has to offer in 2019-21. 

phew...last ESPN sunday cubs game until the williamsport little leage classic game Aug 18 vs PIT.

i really like the LLClassic and i'm stoked the cubs will play this year.  i hope it sticks around for a long time.

sitting in the dugout, it looks like kyle schwarber has an unfortunate touch of matt williams style early onset baldness coming on...or he recently got a way-too-close-on-top haircut.

dude just turned 26 a few months ago.

I'm just glad it worked out for the diarrhea girl and her date. I don't know which is worse, Arod or that fucking commercial 8 times a game. 

hell of a loss.

killer 9th inning drama all going LA's way.  wow.

it says a lot that the packed house in LA was still almost all there through the last pitch of the game.

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    that's moneyballs as hell.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    In case you are wondering if Casali can be called up more than once in 2024 and still return back to AAA each time, an Article XIX-A player (that is, player has accrued at least five years of MLB Service Time) can choose to sign a 45-day waiver each time he is called up whereby the player promises not to elect free-agency if he is sent back to the minors (optioned or outrighted) within 45 days of the call-up. However, the player would have to be placed on Outright Assignment waivers (and so he could get claimed off waivers) each time he is outrighted back to the minors (if the player is out of minor league options, which Casali is). Obviously a player does not have to agree to sign the waiver, but I suspect the Cubs asked Casali if he would be willing to do it (and he probanly said he would) before he was signed.

     

  • Jackstraw (view)

    On the bright side, Counsell's daily rate is only $21,857.92 this year, rather than the usual $21,917.81, due to it being Leap Year and all.  So, a much cheaper questionable decision.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    As I mentioned here last Monday when I posted the Iowa Cubs Opening Day roster (see above), the Cubs would be looking for a catcher to replace Jorge Alfaro as the primary catcher at AAA after Alfaro somewhat surprisingly opted out. And so the Cubs have signed veteran catcher Curt Casali to a 2024 Minor League contract and he will be the # 1 catcher at Iowa and will be available to get called up in case anything happens to Gomes or Amaya.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    If Steele's MRI is bad enough to warrant an IL stint (and that would appear to be the case), the Cubs could bring up an extra bullpen arm (K. Thompson or Palencia) until Steele's next scheduled start next Wednesday when a replacement SP can be called up (Wesneski or Brown), at which point the temporary RP can be sent back to AAA.

  • Charlie (view)

    I'd like to see the Cubs use that DH spot to get another impact bat into the lineup. This year they are more likely to use it to get a bench quality player more ABs and to take starters out of their defensive roles because they don't yet have another impact bat to put in there.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    I think ideally the DH is a fourth OF or backup corner IF (or both) who is a good hitter and can rotate into the spot vacated when a starter needs a day off from the field.

  • Charlie (view)

    I worry that Morel will lose starts at 3B as long as this roster lacks a compelling DH.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    I think if you had ranked players by how much the team could ill afford to have them miss significant time, Steele would be right at the top of the list.

  • crunch (view)

    steele MRI on friday.  counsell expects an IL stint.

    no current plans for his rotation replacement.