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, 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 4-18-2024
 
* 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
Jameson Taillon 
Keegan Thompson
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

INFIELDERS: 7
* Michael Busch 
Garrett Cooper
Nico Hoerner
Nick Madrigal
Christopher Morel
Dansby Swanson
Patrick Wisdom

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Cody Bellinger 
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

OPTIONED: 12 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Jose Cuas, P 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Luke Little, P 
* Miles Mastrobuoni, INF
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 
Hayden Wesneski, P 

10-DAY IL: 1 
Seiya Suzuki, OF

15-DAY IL: 
* Justin Steele, P   

60-DAY IL: 2 
Caleb Kilian, P 
Julian Merryweather, P
 




Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Cubs @ Brewers (Game 47)

Submitted by Charlie on

The Brewers defeated the Cubs in a 1-0 pitchers' duel and the series stands at 0-1 in the Brewers' favor. The Brewers are now 4 games behind the Cubs and 1 behind the 2nd place Cardinals. Are these games part of the "stretch?" It is September, and only 14 games remain. On the other hand, that's nearly 25% of the season. Both teams have had to manage so far without major contributions from their star hitters. On the Cubs' side, Bryant, Rizzo, Baez, and Schwarber are all near the Mendoza line, and Contreras only recently woke up. For the Brewers, Yelich is also batting near .200 and Keston Hiura has struck out 33.3% of the time while batting .224; their top performers have been Avisail Garcia and Jedd Gyorko. Will role players continue to prop up each team as they drive to the season's conclusion?CHC (26-20): RHP Kyle Hendricks (5-4, 3.41 ERA)
MIL (20-22): LHP Brett Anderson (2-3, 4.64 ERA)
First pitch 6:10 pm central

When was the last time a starting pitcher earned a decision in every start of a season? Hendricks is perfect so far in having a W or an L pinned to his back for all 9 games. He's won his last two starts and has allowed 2 earned runs in 14 innings pitched while striking out 10 and walking 2. He last faced Milwaukee for that Opening Day shutout that seems like a decade ago. He's dominated most current Brewers, although Orlando Arcia has proven himself fairly pesky at 8-26 with 3 doubles and only one strikeout.

Brett Anderson made 31 starts in 2019, his second year of a return to the Athletics. It was his best year since 2010, and he earned a career high 13 wins. This year hasn't matched that level, although he has maintained a very strong 61.6% ground ball rate. He's allowed 4 earned runs in each of his last two starts and he earned a loss at Wrigley back on August 13 despite allowing only 2 earned runs and striking out 5 in 4.1 innings. Current Cubs have collectively slashed .287/.341/.476 off of him in only 58 at bats. Bryant and Schwarber have a homerun a piece. Scratch that. Brett Anderson will sit this one out and Brent Suter (plus the rest of the Brewers' fantastic bullpen) will oppose Hendricks. Since making 18 starts for the Brewers in 2018 and a subsequent Tommy John surgery, the soft-tossing lefty has worked primarily out of the bullpen. He's made only one start this season, in which he went 3 innings and allowed 2 earned runs to the Pirates (on August 31). He's had an uncharacteristically high strikeout rate this season, striking out 24 batters in 20 innings.

Tags
2020 Gameday Thread

Comments

Submitted by crunch on Sat, 09/12/2020 - 09:06 pm

happ / bryant(1st) / contreras / schwarber / baez / bote(DH) / heyward / vargas(2nd) / hoerner(3rd)

maybin was originally in the lineup, but he was a late scratch ("feeling ill").

Submitted by crunch on Sat, 09/12/2020 - 09:22 pm

the single positive that tripped up the SF/SD series has tested negative, as well as the rest of the team/support.  looks like a false positive.

Submitted by Dolorous Jon Lester on Sat, 09/12/2020 - 09:54 pm

Ildemaro Vargas has made some pretty solid contact tonight. Hit a ball well off Peralta too

Submitted by crunch on Sat, 09/12/2020 - 09:02 pm

i would celebrate kimbrel's save, but that wasn't pretty even if no runs scored.  nice he got the save (only his 2nd), though.

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Submitted by Dolorous Jon Lester on Sat, 09/12/2020 - 09:27 pm

It's really frustrating to see him getting all these chances. Like, he has 2 or 3 good outings in mop up duty and someone says "yeah he's back!" He's never going to be the guy they signed. That pitcher is gone.

He escaped tonight but my concern is his escaping gets him another look that he blows, or 2.

Glad he held on, this was a nice win. The type of win the Brewers tend to inflict on us late season in recent years.

[ ]

Submitted by bradsbeard on Sat, 09/12/2020 - 09:27 pm

He'd only allowed runs in 1 of his last 10 appearances (plus one inning he didn't finish), and now over his last 11 appearances including tonight (10.1 IP)  he has 22 Ks, 7 BBs, and 2 ER (1.74 ERA). He didn't walk anyone tonight, and the Brewers didn't make especially hard contact. It was scary and I don't know if I feel super confident in him in close games yet, but I think they have to try because a good Kimbrel is going to make a huge difference in October. 

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Submitted by Dolorous Jon Lester on Sat, 09/12/2020 - 09:59 pm

The problem with that logic is Kimbrel, even when he was a force, has struggled in October. He ceded the closer role the year Boston won the series. Couple friends of mine are big Boston fans. They despise Kimbrel. I called them nuts when we first signed him. I wouldn't go as far as them on feeling, but he's difficult to watch.

This is a genuine question: of the stats you list above, how much of it is in high leverage spots? And moreso, how comfortable do you feel if we're up 1 in a game we need to win to stay alive and he trots in from the bullpen?

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Submitted by bradsbeard on Sat, 09/12/2020 - 09:48 pm

I don't think the issue with Kimbrel was leverage (he's not suddenly nervous pitching the 9th or whatever) so much as mechanical (and last year also a little bit of injury). I'm more interested in how he's thrown in the low leverage outings, and the stuff was good (and good again tonight). I also don't consider performance in the playoffs one time to be predictive. If the stuff and command are good I think he'll be good. 

I suspect the issues for Kimbrel dating back to his last year in Boston are age and workload related. I think he just has to fight harder to do what he used to do which affects his release point and body control and his command disappears. He seems to have cleaned up the delivery and the velocity is there again. Not sure the command will ever be the same, but he's still got a lot to work with. 

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Submitted by Dolorous Jon Lester on Sun, 09/13/2020 - 09:41 am

I disagree about the part that he wasn't suddenly nervous. There's an enormous difference pitching the 9th in a 1 run game in June than one in October.

All of this said, I'm hoping you're correct. I'd love nothing more than to see him turn into 90% of the pitcher we thought we were getting. I just don't know the last time I've seen him come into a game that is on the line and look comfortable. 

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Submitted by Arizona Phil on Mon, 09/14/2020 - 09:40 pm

I really don't think Kimbrel ever gets nervous. Maybe if he was a 21 year old kid up from AA making his first MLB appearance he would, but he's not.  

What I believe happened with Kimbrel was that toward the end of last season he thought he was throwing the same stuff he threw back when he was on the HOF trajectory except he was getting really bad results and so he decided he needed to throw harder and all that did was make him lose command by overthrowing his FB and bouncing his CV.   

I suspect what might be different over the past few outings is that he has finally come to grips with where he is in his career and so he has not been overthrowing and so his command has improved. That doesn't mean his stuff is better, just that he might be (finally) at a place where at least he won't walk the world or throw three wild pitches in the same inning again. 

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Submitted by Charlie on Sun, 09/13/2020 - 09:04 am

I was concerned that Kimbrel hardly used his curve at all, opting for the elevated fastball even when he had a double play in order. Of course, he may have been worried about bouncing one and advancing the runners. It worked out--but I don't think he can get by without the threat of the curveball.

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    masterboney is a luxury on a team that has multiple, capable options for 2nd, SS, and 3rd without him around.  i don't hate the guy, but if madrigal is sticking around then masterboney is expendable.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    I THINK I agree with that decision. They committed to Wicks as a starter and, while he hasn’t been stellar I don’t think he’s been bad enough to undo that commitment.

    That said, Wesneski’s performance last night dictates he be the next righty up.

    Quite the dilemma. They have many good options, particularly in relief, but not many great ones. And complicating the situation is that the pitchers being paid the most are by and large performing the worst - or in Taillon’s case, at least to this point, not at all.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Wesneski and Mastrobuoni to Iowa

    Taillon and Wisdom up

    Wesneski can't pitch for a couple of days after the 4 IP from last night. But Jed picked Wicks over Wesneski.

  • crunch (view)

    booooooooooo

    also, wisdom and taillon are both in chicago.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Tonight’s game postponed. Split games on Saturday.

  • crunch (view)

    cubs getting crazy good at not having player moves leak.

    taillon we 100% know is pitching tonight.  who he's replacing and any additional moves are unknown as far as i can tell.

    p.wisdom was not in today's lineup in iowa (rained out) and he was removed from the game last night mid-game, but not for injury.  good bet he's with the team in the bigs, too.

  • Bill (view)

    A good rule of thumb is that if you trade a near-ready high ceiling prospect, you should get at least two far-away high ceiling prospects in return.  Like all rules-of-thumb, it depends upon the specific circumstances, but certainly, we weren't going to get Busch for either prospect alone.

  • Sonicwind75 (view)

    Right on schedule, just read an article in Baseball America entitled "10 MLB Prospects Outside The Top 100 Who Have Our Attention".  Zyhir Hope was one of the prospects featured. It stated that he's "one of the biggest arrow-up sleeper prospects in the lower levels right now."

     

    Not sharing to be negative about the trade, getting a top 100 prospect who is MLB ready should carry a heavy prospect cost.  But man, Dodger sure are good at identifying and developing young talent. Andrew Friedman seems to have successfully merged Ray's development with Yankees financial might to create a juggernaut of an organization.  

  • 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!!!

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