He's a Robel

The Cubs have signed INF Robel Garcia to a 2019 minor league contract and he has been assigned to AAA Iowa. 

The 25-year old switch-hitting Garcia was a member of the Italian National team that was a guest of the Oakland Athletics at Fitch Park in Mesa over the past month. (Ex-Cubs minor leaguers RHP Alessandro Maestri and C-1B Alberto Mineo were also on the squad). Besides working out with the A's minor leaguers, Team Italy participated in a dozen AZ Instructional League games, and that's where the Cubs saw Garcia play before offering him a contract. NOTE: While the Cubs did not field an AZ Instructs team this year, Cubs professional scouts did attend games.   

Garcia played for UniPolsai Bologna (Fortitudo B. C. 1953) in 2018. He hit 281/343/490 and was 2nd in the league in triples and 10th in doubles during the regular season, before hitting .400 in the semifinali serie and .357 in the finale serie as he helped lead his club to the Federazione Italiana Serie A1 (the Italian major league) championship.  

Signed by the Cleveland Indians out of the Dominican Republic as a 17-year old back in March 2010, Garcia spent four very uneventful seasons in the Indians farm system (hitting a combined 217/326/356 in 274 games) before being released at the end of Minor League Camp in 2014, but he didn't give up, so now he will get another chance with the Cubs.  

Garcia probably projects as a AAA or AA utility infielder at this point, but time will tell. 

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Cubs MLB Roster

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40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full), plus two players are on 60-DAY IL   

31 players
are on the MLB ACTIVE LIST (26-man limit in effect on MLB Opening Day)

8 players signed to minor league contracts are Spring Training NON-ROSTER INVITEES (NRI) 

CUBS MLB SPRING TRAINING ACTIVE LIST
: 39 

Last updated 3-23-2023
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 16
Adbert Alzolay
Javier Assad 
Brad Boxberger
Michael Fulmer
Kyle Hendricks
* Brandon Hughes
Julian Merryweather
Michael Rucker
Adrian Sampson
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele 
Marcus Stroman
Jameson Taillon 
Keegan Thompson
Hayden Wesneski
Rowan Wick

NRI PITCHERS: 6 
* Ryan Borucki  
Tyler Duffey 
* Roenis Elias  
* Anthony Kay  
Mark Leiter Jr 
Vinny Nittoli 

CATCHERS: 2 
* Tucker Barnhart 
Yan Gomes

NRI CATCHERS: 1  
Luis Torrens 

INFIELDERS: 9
Nico Hoerner
* Eric Hosmer
Nick Madrigal
* Miles Mastrobuoni
* Zach McKinstry
Christopher Morel
* Edwin Rios
Dansby Swanson
Patrick Wisdom

NRI INFIELDERS
NONE   

OUTFIELDERS: 4 
* Cody Bellinger 
# Ian Happ
Trey Mancini 
Seiya Suzuki 

NRI OUTFIELDERS: 1
* Mike Tauchman   

OPTIONED: 9
Keven Alcantara, OF 
Miguel Amaya, C 
Ben Brown, P 
Alexander Canario, OF 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Jeremiah Estrada, P 
Ryan Jensen, P 
Caleb Kilian, P
Nelson Velazquez, OF 

60-DAY IL: 2 
Codi Heuer, P 
Ethan Roberts, P
  



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