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 vs. Pirates: Series Thread (Games 32-34)

The Cubs pulled off a sweep of the Dodgers, twice walking off in extra innings and raising their record to 15-16. They also climbed aboe Cincinnati and their next opponent, the Pirates, to take 3rd place in the division. Next up, the Pirates may get some say in that matter. They come into Wrigley for a three-game series. This will be the third time these teams have faced off in 2021. They've split the season series at 3-3 so far, but they have not seen each other since April 11. The Cubs will work to build on the momentum from the sweep and stay in the thick of the division. See below for the weekend's matchups.

Game 32, 1:20 pm central

CHC: RHP Zach Davies (1-2, 8.22 ERA)

PIT: RHP Trevor Cahill (1-3, 7.40 ERA)

Davies last pitched on May 1st, when he set his current season best for earned runs allowed in a start (only 1), but also pitched only 4.0 innings. His walk rate remains worryingly inflated, especially for a pitch-to-contact guy. A sudden turnaround, particularly in terms of painting the corners, would be welcome.

Cahill is off to a rough start with the Pirates. The peripherals suggest he's due for better outcomes, however. His strikeout and walk rates are both better than his career averages, and he continues to get ground balls on more than 50% of balls in play. Last time out, the Cardinals knocked him around for 5 earned runs on 7 hits in 5.1 innings. Cubs hitters have seen little of him.

Game 33, 1:20 pm central

CHC: RHP Trevor Williams (2-2, 6.00 ERA)

PIT: RHP Will Crowe (0-1, 4.66 ERA)

The Reds offense chased Trevor Williams from his last start after only 2.2 innings pitched. Before he could flee the scene, he was tagged for 3 homeruns, 6 hits, and 6 earned runs, and he surrendered 4 walks along the way for good measure. His only other bad start on the season was the April 11 loss to the Pirates, in which that offense sprayed 10 hits in only 3.1 innings.

Will Crowe made his MLB debut last season for the Nationals. He went 0-2 in three starts that season while walking almost a batter per inning. Walks have hampered him a nearly as high a rate in the early going of 2021 as well. He made one relief appearance, against the Cubs on April 3, and has made 2 starts. He's allowed 8 walks in 9.2 innings across those 3 appearances. Last time out he lost to the Cardinals, surrendering 3 earned runs in 5 innings of work. Most Cubs will be getting their first looks at him.

Game 34, 1:20 pm central

CHC: RHP Kyle Hendricks (2-3, 6.07 ERA)

PIT: LHP Tyler Anderson (2-3, 3.24 ERA)

Hendricks pitched all 7 innings of the first half of the double-header against the Dodgers, allowing only one run on a solo homerun. Was it a rebound from a despair inducing start to the season, or was it one more appearance in an up-and-down start to the season? Cubs fans have yet to see Hendricks string together two quality starts in 2021. Adam Frazier has truly pestered Hendricks--he's hitting .478 in 23 at bats with two homeruns.

The Cubs scored 3 earned runs and served a loss to Pirates' lefty, Tyler Anderson, way back on April 3. His season record stands at 2-3, but he's allowed no more than 3 earned runs and has pitched at last 5 innings in every start of 2021. He's been a steady performer for the Pirates so far and is well-positioned to have his best season since 2018, when he went 7-9 with 32 starts with the Rockies. Rizzo is 6 for 15 with a homerun and Bryant is 6 for 14 with three dingers off of Anderson.

Comments

Recent comments

crunch 04/19/2024 - 04:22 pm (view)

happ, right hamstring tightness, day-to-day (hopefully 0 days).

he will be reevaluated tomorrow.
Childersb3 04/19/2024 - 04:11 pm (view)

I guess I'm not looking for that type of AB
Just a difference of opinion
TarzanJoeWallis 04/19/2024 - 04:39 pm (view)

I don’t see Tauchman as a weak link in any position. He simply adds his value in a different way.
I don’t know that we gain much by putting him in the outfield - Happ, Bellinger and Suzuki and Tauchman all field their positions well. If you’re looking for Taucnman’s kind of AB in a particular game I don’t see why it can’t come from DH.
Childersb3 04/19/2024 - 04:54 pm (view)

Tauchman gets a pinch hit RBI single with a liner to RF. This is his spot. He's a solid 4th OF. But he isn't a DH.
He takes pitches. Useful. I still believe in having good hitters.
You don't want your DH to be your weak link (other than your C maybe)
crunch 04/19/2024 - 04:46 pm (view)

bit of a hot take here, but i'm gonna say it.

the 2024 marlins don't seem to be good at doing baseballs.
Dolorous Jon Lester 04/19/2024 - 04:25 pm (view)

Phil, will the call up for a double header restart that 15 days on assignment for a pitcher? Like will wesneski’s 15 days start yesterday, or if he’s the 27th man, will that mean 15 days from tomorrow?
I hope that makes sense. It sounds clearer in my head.
Charlie 04/19/2024 - 04:19 pm (view)

Tauchman obviously brings value to the roster as a 4th outfielder who can and should play frequently. Him appearing frequently at DH indicated that the team lacks a valuable DH.
TarzanJoeWallis 04/19/2024 - 04:06 pm (view)

Totally onboard with your thoughts concerning today’s lineup. Not sure about your take on Tauchman though.
The guy typically doesn’t pound the ball out out of the park, and his BA is quite unimpressive. But he brings something unique to the table that the undisciplined batters of the past didn’t. He always provides a quality at bat and he makes the opposing pitcher work because he has a great eye for the zone and protects the plate with two strikes exceptionally well. In addition to making him a base runner more often than it seems through his walks, that kind of at bat wears a pitcher down both mentally and physically so that the other guys who may hit the ball harder are more apt to take advantage of subsequent mistakes and do their damage.
I can’t remember a time when the Cubs valued this kind of contribution but this year they have a couple of guys doing it, with Happ being the other. It doesn’t make for gaudy stats but it definitely contributes to winning ball games. I do believe that’s why Tauchman has garnered so much playing time.
Arizona Phil 04/19/2024 - 04:43 pm (view)

Miles Mastrobuoni cannot be recalled until he has spent at least ten days on optional assignment, unless he is recalled to replace a position player who is placed on an MLB inactive list (IL, Paternity, Bereavement / Family Medical).

And for a pitcher it's 15 days on optional assignment before he can be recalled, unless he is replacing a pitcher who is placed on an MLB inactive list (IL, Paternity, or Bereavement / Family Medical).

And a pitcher (or a position player, but almost always it's a pitcher) can be recalled as the 27th man for a doubleheader regardless of how many days he has been on optional assignment, but then he must be sent back down again the next day.

That's why the Cubs had to wait as long as they did to send Jose Cuas down and recall Keegan Thompson. Thompson needed to spend the first 15 days of the MLB regular season on optional assignment before he could be recalled (and he spent EXACTLY the first 15 days of the MLB regular season on optional assignment before he was recalled).
Dolorous Jon Lester 04/19/2024 - 04:51 am (view)

Indeed they do TJW!
For the record I’m not in favor of solely building a team through paying big to free agents. But I’m also of the mind that when you develop really good players, get them signed to extensions that buy out a couple years of free agency, including with team options. And supplement the home grown players with free agent splashes or using excess prospects to trade for stars under team control for a few years. Sort of what Atlanta does, basically. Everyone talks about the dodgers but I feel that Atlanta is the peak organization at the current moment.
That said, the constant roster churn is very Rays- ish. What they do is incredible, but it’s extremely hard to do which is why they’re the only ones frequently successful that employ that strategy. I definitely do not want to see a large market team like ours follow that model closely. But I don’t think free agent frenzies is always the answer. It’s really only the Dodgers that play in that realm. I could see an argument for the Mets too. The Yankees don’t really operate like that anymore since the elder Steinbrenner passed. Though I would say the reigning champions built a good deal of that team through free agent spending.