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

Spring Training 2023: Final Week (Series Thread)

With the first game if the 2023 season only ten days away, the Cubs have not yet solved for variables at third base, right field, the back end of the rotation, and in the bullpen. Follow along and discuss here as the Cubs make their final roster calculations before the counting stats start counting.

Comments

Tribune reporting that 4th round draft choice, Nazier Mulé will undergo TJ surgery next week and miss the entire 2023 season. I'm not sure how this affects his two way potential, but it's a moot point for now.

ohtani strikes out trout to seal the 3-2 win for Japan.  epic.  absolutely epic ending to an epic WBC.

MLB is expected to "make tweaks" to the recent rule changes...no idea what tweaks and which areas...

neifi perez jr scratched with left bicep tightness...supposedly not serious.  we need neifi perez jr and middle-IF jason heyward healthy going into the season so hopefully it turns out not serious.

either someone missed a hit/run play or tucker barnhart has some things to do after the game.  dude hasn't even attempted a SB since 2019, and only once in 2019.  he tried it 4 times in 2018, 0-4.

For anyone interested, here are the Cubs pitchers reports from Thursday's Cubs - D'backs game at Sloan Park: 

HUNTER WESNESKI: 
FB: 92-95 T-96-97
SL/CT: 88-90 
CH: 86-88 
CV: 78-84 (slurve)  
COMMENT: Worked five innings (81 pitches - 53 strikes) and allowed one unearned run (thanks to a throwing error by Wesneski himself)... surrendered a two-out single in the top of the 1st inning, retired the side 1-2-3 in the 2nd, issued a two-out four pitch walk in the 3rd (all four pitches were 92-93 MPH FB), gave up consecutive two out singles in the 4th, and allowed a two-out triple to Corbin Carroll on a CH followed by a walk on a 3-1 pitch with two outs in the 5th... then, for some unknown reason, Wesneski thought it would be a great idea to try a pick-off attempt at 1st base, which ended up in the dirt and Hosmer could not corral it before Carroll (probably the fastest player in MLB) raced home from 3rd with the D'backs lone run...  Wesneski then got a K-swinging on his 81st pitch of the game (84 MPH slurve) to end the inning and complete his outing... pitches-per-inning were 10-19-12-20-20, as he seemed to begin to labor a bit in the 4th & 5th... the one 96 MPH FB was at the end of the 2nd and the one 97 MPH FB was the last pitch of the 4th, as he was clearly trying to throw the 4SFB as hard as he could to try and close out the inning... he mixed his pitches very well, beginning the game with a slew of off-speed pitches... FB was definitely his least-effective pitch as he had difficulty throwing the pitch for strikes... got five strikeouts (three swinging & two looking)...  got ten swing & miss total (four on slurve, three on CH, three on SL/CT, and none on FB)... mainly he just needs to refine his FB command (which is a bit spotty)...  

KEEGAN THOMPSON:
FB: 91-92 
SL/CT: 86-88 
CV: 79-83 
COMMENT: Hurled two shutout innings (18 pitches - 14 strikes), six up & six down (a 5-3 GO, a F-9, and a three-pitch K-swinging on a CV in his 1st inning of work, then a 6-3 GO, another K-swinging on a CV, and a 3-1 GO)... got three swing & miss total (one on FB and two on CV)... faced six batters and had no three-ball counts... while the FB velo is still not where it was in 2022, his pitch efficiency and ability to throw strikes with his lower velo FB is excellent...  

TYLER DUFFEY: 
FB: 90-92  
CV: 79-80 
COMMENT: Pitched the top of the 8th inning (11 pitches - 8 strikes)... allowed a lead-off ground single through the 5.5 hole to open the inning and then easily retired the next three batters (6-4 FC, F-8, 5-3 GO)... once again he did not get any swing & miss, but he throws a LOT of strikes (no three-ball counts)...  

VINNY NITTOLI: 
FB: 91-93 
SL: 80-82 
COMMENT: Pitched a 1-2-3 9th (K-looking, P-5, 4-3 GO)... threw 13 pitches (8 strikes), including NINE sliders... one swing & miss (SL, naturally)... if the Cubs want a slider first and slider last reliever, Nittoli is their guy... he really, really loves his slider...    

Here are the Cubs pitchers reports from Friday's Cubs - Rangers game at Sloan Park: 

MARCUS STROMAN: 
FB: 89-92 
CT: 86-87
SL: 82-85 
CH: 81-84 
COMMENT: Threw 5.2 IP (75 pitches - 51 strikes)... pitches-per-inning were 12-13-14-12-19-5... apparently the plan was for him to throw at least five innings and at least 75 pitches, because as soon as he hit 75 pitches he was removed from the game (even though there were two outs and nobody on base)... he allowed five hits (all singles), one walk, and he struck out five (three swinging and two looking, the three swinging on sliders and the two looking were on a CH and a CT)... he threw 40 FB ("heavy" two-seamers) and the rest were a mix of secondaries, and the FB (2S) was clearly his pitch-to-contact offering (7/3 GO/AO)... got seven swing & miss total (five on SL and two on CH, but none on FB)... only run allowed was an unearned run thanks to a two-base fielding error by third-baseman Nick Madrigal in the top of the 2nd...  allowed one-out singles in the 1st and 2nd innings, retired the side 1-2-3 in the 3rd, and then pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the 4th (1B, 1B, 1-5-2 FC thanks to a great stop by ex-SS Stroman, another 1B but runners could advance only one base, and an inning-ending L-4 DP with fancy glove work by 2B Luis Vazquez on the catch & throw), and finally a two-out walk in the 5th...  he retired six of the last seven batters he faced... Stroman is clearly ready to start the Cubs opener...   

JAVIER ASSAD: 
FB: 92-95 T-96 
CT: 87-90 
CH: 84-85 
SL: 79-82 
CV: 76 
COMMENT: Relieved Marcus Stroman with two outs in the top of the 6th and immediately struck out the first man he faced on three pitches (all three swinging strikes, including two 94 MPH FB)... top of the seventh was another matter entirely, as he surrendered an opposite field line-drive double fisted into the LF corner by Robbie Grossman on a 2-2 pitch, a walk on a 3-2 pitch after starting the AB 0-2, and then a bunt single to load the bases with no outs 15 pitches into the inning... he then induced an RBI ground ball (6-4 FC, not hit hard enough to turn two), and a K-looking on a CT for the second out... at this point he had thrown 26 pitches in the inning, and so he was (temporarily) relieved by Cam Sanders, who immediately gave up an RBI single on his very first pitch that plated the second run of the inning (run charged to Assad)... Assad came back out in the 8th, and worked the last two innings (25 pitches combined over the final two innings), allowing three hits (all singles, including another bunt single)... for the day Assad pitched 3.0 IP (spread over four frames), throwing 54 pitches (38 strikes)... he allowed two runs (both earned), five hits (including two bunt singles), and a walk, while striking out four (all four swinging) and 3/2 GO/AO... he got a total of ten swing & miss among his 54 pitches (four on a FB, three on a CT, one on a CH, one on a SL, and one on a CV)... off his strong showing with Team Mexico in the WBC, it appears that Assad will either make the Cubs Opening Day 26-man roster as a "Multi-Inning Reliever" (MIR), or be optioned to Iowa where he can be stretched-out as a SP. (he's already up to 54 pitches, so it won't take more than another couple of starts before he will be fully stretched out as a starter if the Cubs choose to go that route with him)... otherwise he is clearly ready to roll as an MIR right now... no question, he definitely has a SP repertoire... 

CAM SANDERS:
FB: 94-95 
CV: 80 
COMMENT: Came over from minor league camp as an extra pitcher... relieved Assad and finished the top of the 7th, allowing an RBI single on his very first pitch (run charged to Assad) before getting the third out on an F-9 (nice running catch by RF Owen Caissie)... 

Keep in mind that MLB 10-day IL (for position players) and MLB 15-day IL (for pitchers and "two-way players") assignments can be backdated up to three days prior to MLB Opening Day, so if (for example) Seiya Suzuki is placed on the Cubs 10-day IL on Opening Day, the assignment can be backdated to Monday 3/27, and so he would be eligible to be reinstated on Thursday 4/6.  

FWIW, 10-day and 15-day IL assignments can be backdated up to three days throughout the MLB season, as long as the player did not play in a game during the backdated period. 

Also, an MLB 7-day (concussion) IL assignment can be backdated up to four days (again, as long as the player did not play in a game during the backdated period).   

Assuming Morel is optioned to AAA the only position player battle is whether to keep McKinstry or Mastrobuoni. 

There's gonna be some tough 40 man roster decisions to find room for Leiter, Tauchman, and maybe a 3rd reliever. McKinstry might be the easiest one to swallow. Wonder if Hendricks gets put on the 60 day IL to make room too

[ ]

In reply to by IACub

I'll make it easy for you:

McKinstry, Rucker get outrighted.

Madrigal gets traded, probably to Houston. 

Wick is traded or outrighted.

Hendricks (IL-15), Suzuki (IL-10).

Tauchman, Bourucki, and Leiter Jr. get selected.

IF/OF on 26-man are:

Happ, Bellinger, Tauchman, Morel, Wisdom, Swanson, Rios, Mastrobouni, Mancini, Hosmer, Hoerner.

If Madrigal doesn't get traded, Hosmer is released. 

 

[ ]

In reply to by George Altman

Rucker has options and if he survived the off-season 40 man, idk why they would boot him now. I also can't imagine Hosmer signed a deal with the Cubs without some promise they would give him some run. Madrigal is interesting. I hope they do find a trading partner bc he is kindof an awkward fit. Tho we haven't heard anything about Hoerners bicep yet so fingers crossed.

nico returns!  sweet.  no matter what i think of him leading off, he's needed to play at a competitive level.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

CRUNCH: Once Suzuki comes back, I'd go with this lineup vs  a RHSP: 

1. Happ, LF  
2. Hoerner, 2B 
3. Bellinger, CF 
4. Suzuki, RF 
5. Rios, DH 
6. Swanson, SS  
7. Hosmer, 1B 
8. Wisdom, 3B
9. Barnhart, C 
BENCH: Mancini, Morel, Gomes, and Mastrobuoni

And against a LHSP: 

1. Happ, LF 
2. Hoerner, 2B
3. Suzuki, RF 
4. Mancini, DH
5. Swanson, SS 
6. Wisdom, 1B     
7. Bellinger, CF 
8. Gomes, C 
9. Morel, 3B 
BENCH: Rios, Hosmer, Barnhart and Mastrobuoni

i'm about done watching hosmer play 1st.  dude's great if you get it exactly to him in the air, but asking him to pick anything in the dirt or wide is an impossible task.

Here are the Cubs pitchers reports from Sunday's Cubs - Royals game at Sloan Park in Mesa: 

JUSTIN STEELE: 
FB: 89-92 
CH: 84-86 
SL: 81-84 
CV: 78-80 
COMMENT: A Kyle Hendricks-like performance... threw six innings of shutout ball (63 pitches - 46 strikes - that's 73% strikes), allowed four hits (two doubles and two singles) and a walk while striking out six (all six swinging, including four on SL and two on FB)... pitches per inning were 8-10-13-10-10-12...  he was on target for a complete game, if this was the regular season... 9/2 GO/AO including one GIDP... benefited from several outstanding middle-infield plays by Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner... got eleven swing & miss (eight on SL and three on FB)... faced 22 batters and had only two three-ball counts...  

KEEGAN THOMPSON:   
FB: 91-92 
SL/CT: 86-88 
CV: 80-83
SLOW CV: 77  
COMMENT: Tossed a shutout 7th (17 pitches - 11 strikes)...  got two swing & miss (one on SL/CT and one on FB)... allowed two baserunners with one out (E-5 throwing error by Patrick Wisdom that Hosmer couldn't pick followed by a single)...  benefited from an outstanding backhanded defensive stop behind second base by Swanson and a "no look" flip that effected a run-saving 6-4 FC... despite the FB velo staying in the low 90's (where it has been all spring), Thompson has been effective, especially since his secondaries have been so good... 

MARK LEITER JR: 
FB: 89-91 
SPLIT: 84-85 
CV: 71-72 
COMMENT: Hurled a 1-2-3 8th (13 pitches - 8 strikes), getting his three outs on an F-7,  a K-swinging on a 1-2 splitter, and a 4-3 GO... threw four slow CV and actually got a swing & miss on one of them... despite his lack of fungibility (he is out of minor league options), it looks like he has  probably pitched himself back into the Cubs bullpen for Opening Day...    

TYLER DUFFEY: 
FB: 91-93 
CV: 79-81 
SLOW CV: 74 
COMMENT: Pitched a shutout 9th... allowed a one-out walk... struck out the last batter of the game (looking) on a 1-2 CV... struggled to throw strikes (20 pitches - only 10 strikes)... got only one swing & miss (it was on his very first pitch of the inning, a CV)... the inconsistent command he has shown this spring (sometimes it's really, really good, and other times it's not too good) will probably relegate him to AAA Iowa (if he isn't released)... 

assad to pen, not AAA.  "maybe" guy mike tauchman sent to minor league camp (along with r.elias).

i watch a lot of spring baseball every year, and one thing still holds true...and it seems to be worse this year...

florida games, as opposed to arizona games, are absolutely chock full of total assholes with heckling that mirrors "i am the main character" screaming with no consideration for others around them.  a lot of it has little to do with baseball or the player's specific lack of a certain skill.

both AZ and FL has this, but florida has it in waaaaaay greater numbers.  you can only blame alcohol vs the person they are so many times, but here we are...

Here are the Cubs pitchers reports from Monday's Cubs - White Sox game at Sloan ParK:

JAMESON TAILLON: 
FB: 90-93 
SL/CT: 88-89 
CH: 8182 
CV: 78-81 
COMMENT: Worked five shutout innings (66 pitches - 47 strikes - that's 72% strikes), allowing two hits (both singles) and an HBP, struck out five (all five swinging), and 4/6 GO/AO... retired the first seven men in a row (K-swinging on a CV, F-7, P-4, K-swinging on a CV, 4-3, L-7, and 3-U) before allowing a one-out single in the top of the 3rd, and then struck out the next two batters (both swinging, both on  a CV)... retired the side 1-2-3 again in the 4th (5-3, F-8, and a K-swinging on a CV)... first two batters reached base in the 5th (single and an HBP), but then he got out of it on an F-7, a 5-4 FC, and an L-8)... pitches per inning were 14-9-14-12-17.... got seven swing & miss total (five on CV all of which were strike three, one on SL/CT, and one on FB)... he probably could have pitched seven or maybe eight innings if it had been the regular season...

JULIAN MERRYWEATHER: 
FB: 96-97
SL: 86-87
CV: 83-84  
COMMENT: Pitched the 6th inning (20 pitches - 14 strikes) and allowed three consecutive singles (producing one run) on his first seven pitches, but then struck out the next two batters (both swinging) and retired the last hitter on an F-7... got four swing & miss (one on FB, one on CV, and two on SL)... for whatever the reason, his FB in this outing was initially VERY hittable... 

ADBERT ALZOLAY: 
FB: 93-95 
CT: 88-91 
SL: 86 
COMMENT: Threw an easy 1-2-3 7th (11 pitches - 9 strikes),  inducing a 6-3 GO, an F-8, and then another F-8... got three swing & miss (two on FB, one on CT)...  

MICHAEL RUCKER: 
FB: 95-96 
CH: 91 
SL: 84-85 
COMMENT: Threw a 1-2-3 8th (11 pitches - 8 strikes), getting a K-swinging on a SL, then an F-8, and finally a K-swinging on a FB...  got six swing & miss among his 11 pitches (which is outstanding), including three on FB, two on SL, and one on a CH.... FB was electric... this was the best one inning outing by any Cubs reliever so far this spring... no way Rucker doesn't make the Cubs Opening Day roster..  

MICHAEL FULMER: 
FB: 92-94 
SL: 86-89 
CV: 80-83 
COMMENT: Entered the game in the top of 9th with the Cubs leading 6-1... had a terrible outing... couldn't find the strike zone (27 pitches - only 13 strikes)... allowed a single and issued a four-pitch walk to begin the inning, but then retired the next two batters on a F-7 and a 5-4 FC, before Erik Gonzalez unloaded a three-run HR on Fulmer's 22nd pitch of the inning (a hanging SL) to make the score 6-5... Fulmer remained in the game and faced two more batters, who continued the hard contact with a single and a double... the main problem was that he just could not command his usual "go-to" SL and so he could not get out of the inning...   

BRADFORD DEPPERMANN: 
FB: 94 
SL: 86-87    
COMMENT: Up from minor league camp as an extra arm... relieved Fulmer with runners on 2nd & 3rd and two outs in the 9th and the Cubs still leading 6-4... surrendered a game-tying two-run single (hard-hit ground single through the box) on his 2nd pitch of the inning, before inducing an inning-ending hard-hit L-8...  
 

they even got the B-team in the announce booth and field reporter crews...rough day for anyone in the stands or watching on TV that's not a fan of the farm system.

Recent comments

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    For sure. This lineup isn’t exactly stacked as is, and subbing out a Cooper or even a Tauchman for Madrigal won’t do it any favors.

  • crunch (view)

    the ESPN bottom graphic taking up 1/8th of the screen sucks.

    i only use ESPN during baseball season and i'm forced to watch a baseball broadcast designed to be broadcast in sports bars and betting parlors where the news/scores of other games is as important as what you're actually tuned in to watch.

  • crunch (view)

    morel triple to start the season....yeaaaaaaaaaaaaah

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    LHP Blake Weiman appears to have been the last cut from the AAA Iowa roster. He is with the Tennessee group at Minor League Camp.

     

  • crunch (view)

    bruce bochy is hobbling rather badly for a guy who's had 2 hip replacements.  his gait is extremely wonky taking the lineup card to the ump.

  • crunch (view)

    yeah, for me this isn't about who's better at 3rd.  it's madrigal, period.  for me it's about who's not hitting in the lineup because madrigal is in the lineup.

    occasional play at 3rd for madrigal, okay.  going with the steele/ground-ball matchup...meh, but okay, whatever.

    seeing madrigal get significant starting time...no thanks.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Yeah I am very disappointed Madrigal is starting. He has no business as a starter. He is AAA insurance, a back up at best. Sure his defense looks fine because he plays far enough in that his noodle arm isn’t totally exposed. It comes at the cost of 3B range.

    He’s garbage, and a team serious about winning would NOT have him starting opening day.

  • crunch (view)

    in other news, it took 3 PA before a.rizzo got his 1st HBP of the season.

  • Eric S (view)

    With two home runs (so far) and 5 rbi today … clearly Nick Martini is the straw that stirs the Reds drink 😳

  • crunch (view)

    madrigal at 3rd...morel at DH.

    making room for madrigal or/and masterboney to get a significant amount of ABs is a misuse of the roster.  if it needed to get taken care of this offseason, they had tons of time to figure that out.

    morel played almost exclusively at 3rd in winter ball and they had him almost exclusively there all spring when he wasn't DH'ing.

    madrigal doing a good job with the glove for a bit over 2 chances per game...is that worth more than what he brings with the bat 4-5 PA a game?  it's 2024 and we got glenn beckert 2.0 manning 3rd base.

    this is a tauchman or cooper DH situation based on bat, alone.  cooper is 3/7 with a double off eovaldi if you want to play the most successful matchup.

    anyway, i hope this is a temporary thing, not business as usual for the rest of the season.  it will be telling if morel is not used at 3rd when an extreme fly ball pitcher like imanaga is on the mound.