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 vs. Twins: Series Thread (Games 51-53(

With only 10 games remaining, the Cubs (30-20) start this series 5.5 up in the division. The Twins (31-21) roll into Wrigley in second place in the AL central but with a record equally as impressive as the Cubs'. They are still in striking distance of the first place White Sox, whom the Cubs will face in the season's 3 final games. Given their sizeable lead in the division, these last 10 games will likely have lost some drama. However, this is also an important stretch for key offensive players who have floundered most of the season, a bullpen that has only recently found reasonable footing, and a rotation with two consistent performers at the top and some major variables behind them. See below for the weekend's match-ups.


Game 1, Friday, Sep. 18, 7:15 pm central
CHC: RHP Kyle Hendricks (5-4, 3.29 ERA)
MIN: LHP Rich Hill (2-1, 3.81 ERA)

Hendricks has strung together three strong starts in a row. Last time out he went 7.2 innings against the Brewers and did not earn a decision, allowing 2 earned runs. Current Twins have 22 at-bats against him. Josh Donaldson (2-4), Eddie Rosario (2-3), and Rich Hill (1-2) account for all five of the roster's hits off the righty.

Rich Hill is now 40 and seems to have had about 3 different MLB careers. This will be his 7th start of 2020. He has yet to pitch more than 5 innings in a start and has seen most of his peripherals swing the wrong direction in this season's small sample. His average velocity is also down almost 2 mph compared to last year. Kyle Schwarber (0-6 with two strikeouts) is likely to sit this one out in favor of Cameron Maybin (2-8 off Hill). Bryant and Rizzo are each 2-6 with a homerun off of Hill.


Game 2, Saturday, Sep. 19, 7:15 pm central
CHC: RHP Alec Mills (5-3, 3.93 ERA)
MIN: RHP Michael Pineda (1-0, 3.57 ERA)

Alec Mills is fresh off the game of his life and the longest outing of his MLB career. There was nothing particularly unusual about his no-hitter, except for the outcomes and that he didn't miss in the heart of the zone much. Living on the edges of the strike zone has always been his key to success. No current Twins have faced Mills.

Former Yankee Michael Pineda has been limited to only 3 starts so far in 2020. In 2019, his first season with the Twins, he had an ERA of 4.01 and saw his GB% drop to a career low 36.1%. He's always been stingy with the walks, however, and was not overly stricken with the HR bug last season. Only Cameron Maybin (5-17) has seen all that much of Pineda. Bryant (1-2) and Schwarber (1-3) have each homered off of him.


Game 3, Sunday, Sep. 20, 6:08 pm central
CHC: RHP Yu Darvish (7-2, 1.86 ERA)
MIN: RHP Jose Berrios (4-3, 4.15 ERA)

Last time out, Yu Darvish failed to earn a decision for the first time in 2020. He allowed 3 runs, 2 earned, in 7 innings while striking out 7 Cleveland hitters. He has worked over Nelson Cruz, Josh Donaldson, and Marwin Gonzalez for 22 strikeouts in 48 at bats. Alex Avila is 3-13 but has also coaxed five walks from Darvish. With two starts left, Cy Young votes are definitely on the line.

The 26-year-old Berrios will face off against the Cubs' ace as well as in his own brother-in-law, Javy Baez. He's had a slightly down season, attributable partly to an inflated walk rate compared to his career average. The righty is using his fastball less and his changeup more than in any prior seasons. He does have his highest K/9 for any season so far to show for it. Jason Kipnis has seen the most of him of any current Cub, but he's only 4-23 with one double. Jason Heyward is 2-3 with the roster's only homerun.

Comments

rizzo! / bryant / contreras / schwarber / baez / heyward / maybin(CF) / kipnis(DH) / hoerner

d.ross is picking up one hell of a c.maybin addiction.

woo.  hell of a game.  jeffress had to work hard for the save, but he got it done...threw a lot of pitches, though.

hendricks is a f'n treasure.  it's amazing he'll be 31 next year and still hasn't thrown 200ip in a season.

happ / bryant / rizzo / contreras / schwarber / baez / heyward / bote(DH) / hoerner

game 2

bote takes a week off after homering and hits a game tieing RBI double.

he didn't take advantage of his earlier opportunities with bryant out.  hopefully he can find some stability.  nice to see him actually doing something @wrigley.  it's been horrible for him @home this season.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

it seems like bringing pitchers who haven't pitched in over a week into games isn't a good idea.

d.underwood shows up for the first time since sept. 8th and it didn't go well, but he escapes paying for thanks to ian happ making 2 outfield assists in a row.  neat.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

CRUNCH: Conversely, Rex Brothers, who hadn't pitched in a game since like forever, was "lights out," striking out the side in the 8th (and it was Rosario-Sano-Kepler) with a 95-97 MPH FB and 89 MPH slider. When he throws strikes he can be unhittable.

And while Josh Osich wasn't terrible (an infield single, and HBP, and an E-6 that led to an unearned run), when it comes time to option somebody so that Adbert Alzolay can get called up to be the 5th starter on Tuesday, Osich might be the guy who gets sent down (it will be just through Sunday 9/27, because by rule all players on optional assignment must be recalled no later than the day after the conclusion of the MLB regular season even if the player has not spent ten days on optional assignment). 

The thing about Duane Underwood Jr is that even though he has clearly been the beneficiary of some lucky breaks (Saturday night wasn't the first time), he almost certainly will not be included on any of the Cubs post-season series active lists, but at the same time the Cubs don't want to give up on him just yet because he still has some untapped upside. So I think while he will probably not pitch at all in the post-season (or even be active), the Cubs will retain him on the 40 through the post-season and off season and then give him every opportunity to make the 2021 26-man Opening Day roster in Spring Training. The last thing they want to do is lose him off waivers (he is out of minor league options) and have him reach his potential with another MLB club. 

[ ]

In reply to by Hagsag

Honestly, I didn't think he looked all that sharp. He almost gave up a double/triple into the corner that landed just foul, bounced several pitches, and general seemed effectively wild. Not somebody I'd want throwing in a close game and not with runners on I don't think. 

happ / rizzo / bryant / schwarber / contreras(DH) / heyward / baez / caratini / kipnis

game 3

fwiw, supposedly brailyn marquez has been impressing so much at the alternate site he could get an elevated role...maybe a taste this year or maybe part of the playoff 40-man roster pool.

either way he seems destined to shoot up the minor league prospect rankings this offseason.

Jose Martinez still tracking with last season's pickup of Martin Maldonado - zero hits while with the Cubs

we really gonna leave this game to nico hoerner with 2 out and the bases loaded in the 9th?  a'ite then.  c'mon dude.

Recent comments

  • hellfrozeover (view)

    I would say also in the bright side column is Busch looked pretty good overall at the plate. Alzolay…man, that hurts but most of the time he’s not giving up a homer to that guy. To me the worst was almonte hanging that pitch to Garcia. He hung another one to the next hitter too and got away with it on an 0-1. 

  • crunch (view)

    amaya blocked like 6-8 of smyly's pitches in the dirt very cleanly...not even an exaggeration, smyly threw a ton of pitches bouncing in tonight.

    neris looking like his old self was a relief (no pun), too.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    In looking for bright spots the defense was outstanding tonight. The “stars” are going to need to shine quite a bit brighter than they did tonight offensively though for this to be a successful season.

  • Eric S (view)

    Good baseball game. Hopefully Steele is pitching again in April (but I’m not counting on it). 

  • crunch (view)

    boo.

  • crunch (view)

    smyly to face the 2/3/4 hitters with a man on 2nd in extras.

    this doesn't seem like a 8 million dollar managerial decision.

  • crunch (view)

    i 100% agree with you, but i dunno how jed wants to run things.  the default is delay.  i would choose brown.

    like hellfrozeover says, could be smyly since he's technically fresh and stretched.

    anyway, on a pure talent basis....brown is the best option.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Use pitchers when you believe they're good. Don't plan their clock.

    I'm sorry. I'm simply anti-clock/contract management. Play guys when they show real MLB potential talent.

    If Brown hadn't been hurt with the Lat Strain he would've gotten the call, and not Wick.

    Give him a chance. 

    But Wesneski probably gets it

  • crunch (view)

    alzolay...bro...

  • crunch (view)

    wow.  what a blown call.  go cubs, i guess.