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

Cubs vs. Rays: Series Thread (Games 53-55)

The Cubs have three games to turn around a 2-4 homestand. They suffered a three game sweep at the hands of the Reds and are now joined at Wrigley by the 39-16 Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays sit atop a strong AL East and hold the best record in baseball. The Cubs currently find themselves at the opposite end of the spectrum, falling to last in the NL Central and holding a record better than only the farcical Oakland Athletics. They remain, however, only 5.5 back in the division. See below for matchups.



Game 53, Monday, May 29, 1:20 pm central
TBR: RHP Taj Bradley (3-1, 4.44 ERA)
CHC: RHP Marcus Stroman (4-4, 2.95 ERA)

A former 5th round pick in the 2018 draft, Taj Bradley is five starts into his rookie campaign. He features a mid-90s fastball and a plus slider and commands his pitches well. He's had solid results so far, and his peripherals suggest there's better still to come.

Stroman has been off to a strong start in all categories excepting run support so far. He could be on track for a career year of his current trends continue. He went eight innings against the Meta to earn his fourth win his last time out, the longest start by a Cub this season, just barely edging Smyly's bid for a perfect game.
 



Game 54, Tuesday, May 30, 7:05 pm central
TBR: LHP Shane McClanahan (8-0, 1.97 ERA)
CHC: RHP Kyle Hendricks (0-1, 6.23 ERA)

The 26-year-old McLanahan has been excellent since making his MLB debut in 2021. He mixes a high-90s fastball with one of the best curveball in the majors, a frequently used split-change, and a slider. 

Hendricks made a long-awaited return from the IL against the Meta, taking a loss in his 2023 debut. He looked healthy, however, reaching the high 80s fastball velocity that is his norm and throwing plenty of first pitch strikes.

 



Game 55, Wednesday, May 31, 1:20 pm central
TBR: RHP Zach Eflin (7-1, 3.17 ERA)
CHC: LHP Justin Steele (6-2, 2.77 ERA)

Eflin spent his first 7 MLB seasons as a back of the rotation starter with the Phillies. He's have a better than expected start to the season, thanks partly to an increased rate of contact on the ground while maintaining his usual low walk rate. The Rays are getting a lot of mileage out of him so far as he's gone seven innings deep three times and has yet to be pulled before finishing five.

Steele got off to a ridiculously clean start to 2023, improving on his already great second half of 2022. He took a loss in 3.1 innings last time out, the first start of the season in which he failed to reach the sixth inning. His zero walks and zero homers allowed in the start comprise the silver lining of the outing. A fair portion of the 10 hits he allowed were off the soft-hit variety as well. However, per statcast he still allowed 9 hard hit balls, the most of any of his outings this season and all allowed while collecting his fewest outs thus far. For May only he's posted a 4.40 ERA and seen his strikeout rate dip to 7.85 per nine innings. 

Comments

Is today the April Fool's Day lineup, and not the Memorial Day lineup, and that's why it looks like it does?

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

Ross is going to play all 13 position Players. Jed needs to leave him with Mervis, Hoerner, Wisdom, Swanson, Happ, Bellinger, Suzuki, Gomes, Morel, and Amaya. That's it until he determines Slaughter and Caissie are ready. As long as Barnhart, Mastrobouni, Rios, and Mancini are on this roster, Ross will play them. Usually not at the best time. Every manager will. This is on Jed.

[ ]

In reply to by George Altman

Agreed. Trading Bellinger, Wisdom, Mancini, Tauchman, Stroman, Smyly, Hendricks, Merriweather and Leiter Jr. to maximize return is a necessity; and trading or releasing Barnhart, Rios, Madrigal, Mastrobuoni, Rucker and Fulmer to allow opportunities for younger players with potential is moreso. Having players like Assad, Alozay, and Keegan Thompson changing their use and approach, and guys like Velazquez and Amaya coming up only to ride the pine is just a waste. This isn't the 2016 or 2017 team that just needs 1 guy in 1 spot on the team to get us over the hump, and we have a loaded system now compared to then, and overall I would argue.

We have a profusion of willing and able prospects/options in the minors: Slaughter* and Morel# can handle any 3B or additional infield starts (Sergio Alcantara* is very good as well), Perlaza* (SH) Hill* (L) and Velazquez# can handle the outfield/bench, with Canario# and Davis# in the wings (I would argue Canario is the best of those 5, but he's working his way back, prayerfully soon), Amaya# splitting time with Gomes; and we have a cornucopia of pitching options, starting and bullpen.

This will allow for players in Tennessee to move up: Strumpf*, Vasquez*, Aliendo*, Murray Jr., Maldonado*, Roederer*, Cassie, PCA, Bigge*, Correa* Guzman (who we received for McKinstry), Little the younger*, Palencia*, Whitney, Wicks, the majority of whom are rule 5 eligible. 

I would say the bulk of these moves won't happen for the next 6 weeks or so (with the trade deadline being August 1st), but foregoing these moves because MAYBE we can make the post-season, or because certain players were signed, or have experience is just the fallacy of sunk cost. We need to see what we have with these prospects.

Hard to strike gold, if you're not digging.......

(* = Rule 5 eligible, # = on 40 man

Phil or someone would need to see verify if I missed anyone or their eligibility)

I have a hard time imagining that David Ross would be fired during the season after getting an extension. But what are the chances he's not back next year?

When does the watch begin?

stro with a no-hitter through 6 and only 70 pitches...would be a perfect game if not for a HBP.

stro going for the complete game.  cubs haven't had one of those since 2021 (hendricks) and that was the only one for them in 2021.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

In the last two off seasons Jed has traded away Harold Ramirez (for Esteban Quiroz, to keep Hermosillo on the roster) and McKinstry (for a 26 year old RP who had thrown 2 games at AA, to keep Mastrobuoni and Madrigal on the 26 man roster).

Thats a pretty poor demonstration of internal scouting.

[ ]

In reply to by Dolorous Jon Lester

What does everybody have against Mastrobuoni? He's basically the same player as McKinstry (maybe better in the long run) but he has options.

 

Harold Ramirez was traded because he couldn't get to spring training. McKinstry they hung onto as long as they could, but nobody (among Cubs fans) really wanted him around. Glad he's making the most of his opportunity. The Guardians and Dodgers gave up on those guys too. Stuff happens.

 

 

[ ]

In reply to by bradsbeard

Right?  MM has almost a unicorn type profile for a bench utility player - young, cheap, LHH, a bit of speed, positional flexibility, multiple options.  I get that people are ticked, but MM is part of the solution long-term, not the problem.

 

Also, a word in defense of Nick Madrigal... yes, he should have been optioned to start the season. Yes, his profile (high contact, low power, positional question) has a narrow range for long-term, high-level success. But so much of fandom talks about him like he's a bum.  He was consensus top-50 on all of the prospect lists. He demonstrated skill in the majors. After ~500 PAs (over a few years) & inconsistent playing time (injuries), the league adjusted & he hit a developmental bump. Not awesome, but not shocking. 

 

In addition, NkMdg  is a player who has had just over ~1000 PA's at AA / AAA / MLB combined.... so basically 2 uninterrupted seasons worth of PA's.    Anthony Rizzo had ~1400 minor league PA's BEFORE he even made it to the majors. Then from 2011-2013, he "mashed" a line of .238 / .324 / .412 over ~1200 MLB PA's. 

 

(Also, none of this is directed at DJL specifically... just venting some thoughts that have been simmering)

[ ]

In reply to by First.Pitch.120

It’s all good I don’t take it personally.

I don’t have anything against Mastrobuoni or Madrigal. They’re both fine for what they are. But both were optionable and we could have kept McKinstry, too.

And yeah McKinstry struggled in spring and hadn’t solidified himself as a MLB player at all at the time. And fans were calling for him to go. I don’t recall having much of a reaction when it happened, but it’s not on us to know. It’s on the front office to self-scout well enough to hold onto the proper players. Happening once can happen to anyone but it’s happened two consecutive years now.

[ ]

In reply to by Dolorous Jon Lester

I agree that they should've tried to keep Ramirez and McKinstry, but sometimes there are factors we may not be privy to; not necessarily with Ramirez so much as McKinstry, perhaps McKinstry was the only player between him and Mastrobuoni that someone offered compensation for, i.e. Guzman? (and the point bradsbeard makes about Ramirez getting to spring training, or rather not being able to)

[ ]

In reply to by Dolorous Jon Lester

The other factor with McKinstry (which was not a factor so much with Ramirez) is that sometimes a team just doesn’t have the playing time to offer a fringe guy even if they think there is a chance he could do what McKinstry has done so far. Had they kept him, he would have gotten similar playing time as Madrigal and Mastro, or he would have displaced Wisdom’s fine start to the year. The Tigers were just in a better position than the Cubs to give him the run he’s gotten. Sometimes that’s a symptom of having a better roster (I realize what that sounds like, but the Cubs do have a better roster than the Tigers. In fact, their off-season spending is really what forced McKinstry off the roster).

[ ]

In reply to by First.Pitch.120

I just really don't get this angst over Madrigal and McKinstry. By any modern metric: OPS+, WRc+, WARf or b, OPS, they are BELOW average MLB Offensive players. And Madrigal is generously 'MLB Average' on the 20-80 scale at 2B only.

Hoerner/Swanson were always going to get 150 starts at 2B/SS. Wisdom's HR power was always going to get 100+ starts at 3B.

The Cubs have bigger issues:

1. Can PCA play CF and leadoff in 2024

2. Need to continue Mervis development as a MLB 1B

3. Find a DH and TOR SP1 or SP2 for next year (like Ohtani)

4. Teach Morel to play 3B or CF before he becomes a full time DH

5. Pick up Gomes option and hope Amaya is ready to Catch by next year.

Suzuki, Happ, Hoerner, and Swanson are their only full time players until all the above happens.

I'm not a fan of the SPs or RPs except Steele, Stroman, and Alzolay.  I can see a scenario where Brown, Wicks, Palencia, Wesneski, Heuer with Leiter make significant contributions next year. 

Overall, I hope they focus on offense this off-season, like DH and 3B. I see pitching much closer to the bigs, especially if the sign a couple FA RPs better than Fulmer and Boxberger. 

[ ]

In reply to by George Altman

if they'd let morel play IF this team wouldn't need madrigal or masterboner getting serious ABs.

the starting middle IF are both SS and redundantly back each other up.  morel plays an above average 2nd and could slot there if needed.

i dunno what they have against morel and 3rd base when they're more than willing to put wisdom there.  they're not the same defensively, but both are good enough and close enough in their talents to play there.

...but rather than having him play a good 2nd or a decent 3rd they're hell bent on making him a below-average OF'r.

i mean, what the hell is the plan with morel?  he's not going to take suzuki's job, happ's job, or PCA's eventual job.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

This and other comments on a better roster brings up a topic I've been going over for a few days: at what point do you decide a position player has done enough to lock in said position? 

I look at the extensions Happ and Hoerner received, and the contract for Suzuki and Swanson, and I wonder, would they be knocked from their stranglehold on the position if a better option presented itself, either from their lack of production, or a player with better potential was available through promotion or signing?

Starting with Happ and Hoerner, homegrown players who I watched march up through the ranks and really root for, I see them as good to very good players, not great; their ceiling is high don't get me wrong, but not Suzuki or Swanson. But Suzuki and Swanson are very good players, not great; none of these 4 are in the same league that Bryant, Baez, and Rizzo were at for a few years there (Rizzo still).

Morel or Slaughter should have 3B, Swanson has SS, Hoerner has 2B for now, but is there a scenario where if in the next 6 - 18 months, someone of Murray Jr., Vasquez, Strumpf, or Morel or Slaughter are playing really well, we give them a chance to see what they can do at 2B? Same thing in the OF, Canario, Velazquez, Perlaza, (prayerfully Davis), Cassie, PCA, Roederer, and Alcantara are all very high ceiling players, do they supplant Happ?

I just don't see Hoerner hitting more than 10 homeruns, or Swanson hitting more than 15 - 20, or Happ or Suzuki hitting more than 20 - 25; is that going to be enough for us to contend for a world series by adding a few complimentary pieces? 

Would a 2024 lineup of:

CF PCA 

2B Hoerner 

DH Canario/Morel

3B Morel/Slaughter 

RF Suzuki 

SS Swanson 

LF Happ

1B Mervis

C Amaya/Gomes 

Bench: Velazquez, Perlaza, Mancini 

Get us to world series contention? 

I don't see any 1 free agent/trade target making that big a difference, so either our prospects elevate us to contention by next year, or our window doesn't really start until 2025.......

 

they sent k.thompson back to AAA, but they stuck him in the pen.  through 2 appearances they're both pretty much some of the worst work of his career and he didn't finish the inning in either...

1.1ip 7h 4bb 0k, 8 r/er (4 in each outing)

ow.

Even if the Cubs get back on track, there will still be several players available at the deadline. The one guy I hope they wall off and sign ASAP is Stroman.

rucker down, wesneski up...wtf...they cannot be using wesn out of the pen.  sigh.  whatever.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

Ross.

Needs.

To.

Go.

Yanking prospects all over the place because he doesn't know how to handle them is a disgrace, why is Mancini in their instead of Mervis; let's give the bullpen whiplash moving them earlier and later in each game at random. Morel is hitting.368 batting leadoff, but let's put him 9th. I would think any random person could do better than Ross at this point.......

hendricks has given up 1 run through 5 and the defense surrounding him gets an over-sized amount of credit for there only being 1 run given up.

they had alzolay up alone warming in the pen in the 5th when hendricks was putting guys on (before he got out of it).  warmed up for 5 minutes or so...

so anyway, merryweather is out here for the 6th.

i will feel enthusiastic when the cubs get to .500 again, but it's nice to win 2 in a row.

I can't see Mervis doing any worse than Mancini, prayerfully Ross or Jed decide to just let Mervis play every day going forward............

Steele removed from game after 3 innings due to “left forearm tightness”.  Hopefully the elbow is structurally okay.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

I'm with you Crunch

I thought Wesneski deserved a chance to get out of the 7th. 

But the real mistake Ross made was keeping Leiter in after giving up the 1st 2run bomb. He walks the next guy to start the 8th, and still gets to stay in. He could've come out since he finished the 7th (I believe). He didn't have it. It happens. But Ross let him stay. That's on David.

And then Dansby and Happ strikeout with men RISP. Happ going down looking was rough. 

He just wasn't aggressive.

Recent comments

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Javier Assad started the Lo-A game (Myrtle Beach versus Stockton) on the Cubs backfields on Wednesday as his final Spring Training tune-up. He was supposed to throw five innings / 75 pitches. However, I was at the minor league road games at Fitch so I didn't see Assad pitch. 

  • crunch (view)

    cards put j.young on waivers.

    they really tried to make it happen this spring, but he put up a crazy bad slash of .081/.244/.108 in 45PA.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Seconded!!!

  • crunch (view)

    another awesome spring of pitching reports.  thanks a lot, appreciated.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Here are the Cubs pitchers reports from Tuesday afternoon's Cardinals - Cubs game art Sloan Park in Mesa:

    SHOTA IMANAGA
    FB: 90-92 
    CUT: 87-89 
    SL: 82-83 
    SPLIT: 81-84
    CV: 73-74 
    COMMENT: Worked three innings plus two batters in the fourth... allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits (six singles and two doubles) walked one, and struck out six (four swinging), with a 1/2 GO/AO... he threw 73 pitches (52 strikes - 10 swing & miss - 19 foul balls)... surrendered one run in the top of the 1st on a one-out double off Cody Bellinger's glove in deep straight-away CF followed one out later by two consecutive two-out bloop singles, allowed two runs (one earned) in the 2nd after retiring the first two hitters (first batter had a nine-pitch AB with four consecutive two-strike foul balls before being retired 3 -U) on a two-out infield single (weak throw on the run by Nico Hoerner), a hard-contact line drive RBI double down the RF line, and an E-1 (missed catch) by Imanaga on what should been an inning-ending 3-1 GO, gave up another run in the 3rd on a two-out walk on a 3-2 pitch and an RBI double to LF, and two consecutive singles leading off the top of the 4th before being relieved (runners were ultimately left stranded)... threw 18 pitches in the 1st inning (14 strikes - two swing & miss, one on FB and the other on a SL - four foul balls), 24 pitches in the 2nd inning (17 strikes - three swing & miss, one on FB, two SPLIT - six foul balls), 19 pitches in the 3rd inning (13 strikes - seven swing & miss, three on SL, two on SPLIT, one on FB - three foul balls), and 12 pitches without retiring a batter in the top of the 4th (8 strikes - no swing & miss - four foul balls)... Imanaga throws a lot of pitches per inning, but it's not because he doesn't throw strikes...  if anything, he throws too many strikes (he threw 70% strikes on Tuesday)... while he gets a ton of swing & miss (and strikeouts), he also induces a lot of foul balls because he doesn't try to make hitters chase his pitches by throwing them out of the strike zone... rather, he uses his very diverse pitch mix to get swing & miss (and lots of foul balls as well)... he also is a fly ball pitcher who will give up more than his share of HR during the course of the season...   
     
    JOE NAHAS
    FB: 90-92 
    SL: 83-85 
    CV: 80-81 
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day... relieved Imanaga with runners at first and second and no outs in the top of the 4th, and after an E-2 catcher's interference committed by Miguel Amaya loaded he bases, Nahas struck out the side (one swinging & two looking)... threw 16 pitches (11 strikes - two swinging)...   

    YENCY ALMONTE
    FB: 89-92 
    CH: 86 
    SL: 79 
    COMMENT: Threw an eight-pitch 5th (five strikes - no swing & miss), with a 5-3 GO for the first out and an inning-ending 4-6-3 DP after a one-out single... command was a bit off but he worked through it...   

    FRANKIE SCALZO JR
    FB: 94-95
    CH: 88 
    SL: 83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 6th inning... got the first outs easily (a P-5 and a 4-3 GO) on just three pitches, before allowing three consecutive two-out hard-contact hits (a double and two singles), with the third hit on pitch # 9 resulting in a runner being thrown out at the plate by RF Christian Franklin for the third out of the inning... 

    MICHAEL ARIAS
    FB: 94-96
    CH: 87-89
    SL: 82-83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and allowed a hard-contact double on the third pitch of the 7th inning (a 96 MPH FB), and the runner came around to score on a 4-3 GO and a WP... gave up two other loud contact outs (an L-7 and an F-9)... threw 18 pitches (only 10 strikes - only one swing & miss)... stuff is electric but still very raw and he continues to have difficulty commanding it, and while he has the repertoire of a SP, he throws too many pitches-per-inning to be a SP and not enough strikes to be a closer... he is most definitely still a work-in-progress...   

    ZAC LEIGH: 
    FB: 93-94 
    CH: 89 
    SL: 81-83 
    CV: 78
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and tossed a 1-2-3 8th (4-3 GO, K-swinging on a sweeper, K-looking on another sweeper)... threw 14 pitches (11 strikes - one swing & miss - eight foul balls)... kept pumping pitches into the strike zone but had difficulty putting hitters away (ergo a ton of foul balls)... FB velo is nowhere near the 96-98 MPH it was a couple of years ago when he was a Top 30 prospect, but his secondaries are better...   

    JOSE ROMERO:  
    FB: 93-95
    SL: 82-84
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 9th (14 pitches - only six strikes- no swing & miss) and allowed a solo HR after two near-HR fly outs to the warning track, before getting a 3-1 GO to end the inning... it was like batting practice when he wasn't throwing pitches out of the strike zone...

  • crunch (view)

    pablo sandoval played 3rd and got a couple ABs (strikeout, single!) in the OAK@SF "exhibition"

    mlb officially authenticated the ball of the single he hit.  nice.

    he's in surprisingly good shape considering his poor body condition in his last playing seasons.  he's not lean, but he looks healthier.  good for him.

  • crunch (view)

    dbacks are signing j.montgomery to a 1/25m with a vesting 20m player option.

    i dunno when the ink officially dries, but i believe if he signs once the season begins he can't be offered a QO...and i'm not sure if that thing with SD/LAD in korea was the season beginning, either.

  • crunch (view)

    sut says imanaga getting the home opener at wrigley (game 4 of the season).

  • crunch (view)

    cubs rolling out the who's who of "who the hell is this guy?" in the last spring game.

  • videographer (view)

    AZ Phil, speaking of Jordan Wicks having better command when he tires a bit, I remember reading about Dennis Lamp 40 years ago and his sinker that was better after 3 or 4 innings when he would tire a bit and get more sink with a little less speed on the pitch.  The key for Lamp was getting to the 4th inning.