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. Brewers: Series Thread (Games 1-3)

The Chicago Cubs open the 2023 with a three-game series at Wrigley Field. Bring your mittens and balaclavas. See below for the daily matchups, such as they stand. Updates to come as the Cubs announce their starters for games two and three. [Updates made March 31.]


Game 1, March 30, 1:20 pm central

CHC: RHP Marcus Stroman (0-0, -.-- ERA)

MIL: RHP Corbin Burnes (0-0, -.-- ERA)

Stroman had a somewhat disappointing 2022, posting 6-7 record and 3.50 ERA for the season, but finished strong along with the rest of the Cubs' pitching staff. He warmed up for competitive play pitching for Puerto Rico in the WBC--unlike his Brewers' counterpart, who sat out the international competition in favor of staying with his teams' camp. Burnes was stellar again in 2022, despite not matching his otherworldly 2021 performance. He'll surely be hoping to put a good foot forward in another campaign towards Cy Young votes. Dansby Swanson is expected to make his debut in a Cubs' uniform having signed a seven-year contract, and Nico Hoerner is fresh off an extension that bought out one of his free agent years. Former MVP and rebound hopeful Cody Bellinger will likely get a nice pop from the crowd when he is announced in center field as well.


Game 2, April 1, 1:20 pm central

CHC: LHP Justin Steele (0-0, -.--)

MIL: RHP Brandon Woodruff (0-0, -.--)

The 27-year-old Steele had something of a breakthrough in 2022, starting 24 games and recording 3.18 ERA. Steele showed an improved command of the zone and combined solid strikeout numbers with a ground ball percentage just over fifty percent--a reliable recipe for success as long as he maintains those components.

The Brewers will rely on veteran Brandon Woodruff to continue a string of dominant if not always durable seasons dating back to 2019, the first season that Woodruff was able to break into double digit starts in the majors. Cubs fans are familiar with Woodruff's overpowering arsenal, but he will face lineup with significant turnover.


Game 3, April 2, 1:20 pm central

CHC: RHP Jameson Taillon (0-0, -.--)

MIL: LHP Eric Lauer (0-0, -.--)

Taillon joins a crew of veteran free agents making their Cubs debuts at Wrigley. He comes in with a career 51-35 record and 3.84 ERA. Most of the chatter about him this spring training, however, has focused on his addition of a sweeper. He'll finally get a chance to show it off outside of the dry Arizona air.

Eric Lauer matched his season high in starts and slightly past his highest innings per season in 2022. He went 2-0 against the 2022 Cubs and collected 30 strikeouts in 22 innings pitched--his highest marks for both strikeouts and innings pitched against any team in 2022. He'll be missing two contributors that success this time around, however; Frank Schwindel and Seiya Suzuki are a collective 1-14 with 4 strikeouts against him. Schwindel is now with the NPB, and Suzuki will surely get a few more cracks out Lauer after he returns from his current IL stint.

Comments

hoerner - swanson - happ - bellinger - mancini (DH) - gomes - hosmer - wisdom - mastro (RF)

im not sure how neifi perez jr and jason heyward jr are going to be setting the table for this team, but it seems to be what they're going with for now...

[ ]

In reply to by CubFan23

heyward = swanson...hoerner = neifi...it's snarky b/s about their bats.

to be fair...heyward was paid big to hit like he does and handle 1-2 putouts a game in RF.  what swanson does is -way- more impactful with his glove/arm.  hoerner the leadoff man, though...hmmm...pass.  i don't mind him in the lineup, but the top of the lineup?  i dunno...

hey, both guys can feel free to make an idiot out of me and i'll be cheering it on in a dunce hat.

gomes is clanking the hell out of a lot stroman pitches considering we're only about 15 pitches into the season....passed ball or not, he needs to stop them

if anyone has a good reason f'n madrigal is playing 3rd base in the bigs and eating a roster space while bote is in AAA playing all over the infield and not being challenged with the bat or glove i'd like to hear it.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

My guess is: Because while Madrigal hasn’t shown anything, he’s still young enough that a turnaround is possible. David Bote has proven himself to be a quad-A player.

His service time in relation to being able to dump his contract in AAA and save his 40 man roster spot in the offseason for someone actually worthy of it also likely plays a factor. Generally I’m almost never going to defend the roster and service time manipulation nonsense, but in Bote’s case I will make an exception.

[ ]

In reply to by Dolorous Jon Lester

my big issue isn't madrigal existing as much as it is the club being 3 games into the season and he's started at 3rd twice.

the freedom of being able to stash bote in AAA without a 40-man roster hit is worth something, but im not sure it outweighs giving madrigal a lot of playing time to maybe hit a bunch of singles.

once suzuki gets back in RF it will probably be a bit better as far as getting madrigal back on the bench moreso than finding starts.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

I agree with you on that… once Seiya is back, fewer starts for Madrigal should follow. And that’s a good thing. I also kinda think Madrigal could do with some Iowa time, so maybe Seiya’s return pushes Madrigal there?

I’m just tired of watching Bote flail away helplessly at mlb high fastballs. He’s fooled me several times now, and I’ve just come to the conclusion he’s a quad A depth piece at best.

Recent comments

  • Charlie (view)

    I worry that Morel will lose starts at 3B as long as this roster lacks a compelling DH.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    I think if you had ranked players by how much the team could ill afford to have them miss significant time, Steele would be right at the top of the list.

  • crunch (view)

    steele MRI on friday.  counsell expects an IL stint.

    no current plans for his rotation replacement.

  • 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.