2023 Cubs

The Cubs get a quick rematch against the Marlins, who swept them on the road to end the month of April. This time, the Cubs are reinforced by designated hitter and first baseman Matt Mervis, who is likely to make his MLB debut, and catcher Miguel Amaya, who debuted on May 4 collecting his first MLB RBI on a sac fly but still in search of his first time reaching base safely. See below for the matchups in this weekend series at Wrigley.

Game 32, Friday, May 5, 1:20 pm central

MIA: RHP Edward Cabrera (2-2, 4.67 ERA)

CHC: LHP Justin Steele (4-0, 1.49 ERA)

The Cubs suffered a three-game sweep in Miami to end the month of April, lowering their 2023 record to 14-13. Cody Bellinger continued his recent showing of power by hitting his 7th homerun of the season. Patrick Wisdom homered in the series as well to push his 2023 total to 10. Nico Hoerner has stretched his on-base streak 25 games, having reached base safely in every game except for his 0-4 with no walks on April Fools Day. The Cubs have had a strong showing in offense, starting pitching, and defense.

The Cubs take their first 2023 road trip to the east coast. There, they will meet the 13-13 Marlins for a three-game series. Call-ups from Iowa Velasque and Killian get their early season auditions, with Velasquez already having made a notable first few appearances. Bellinger returns from paternity leave, hopeful to resume his recent power surge. See below for matchups.

Game 25, Friday, April 28, 5:40 pm central

CHC: RHP Marcus Stroman (2-2, 2.17 ERA)

MIA: LHP Jesus Luzardo (2-1, 3.62 ERA)

Game 26, Saturday, April 29, 3:05 pm central

The Cubs took advantage of the series in Oakland to boost their offensive statistics and their standing in the NL Central. They are still behind the Brewers, but the favored Cardinals are now 4th in the division at 8-11 while the Cubs are five over .500 at 11-6. The Dodgers will visit them at Wrigley, having lost two of three to the Cubs in L.A. See below for matchups int he four-game set.

Game 18, Thursday, April 20, 6:40 pm central

LAD: RHP Michael Grove (0-1, 9.00 ERA)

CHC: RHP Jameson Taillon (0-2, 4.50 ERA)

The Cubs and their trio of former Dodgers took two out of three from the Dodgers in L.A. They next travel north to take on the 3-13 Oakland Athletics. Cody Bellinger and Patrick Wisdom have each begun to heat up a bit, and along with Seiya Suzuki reinforce the middle of the Cubs' lineup, which was carried by the table setters in the early going. See below for the daily matchups.

Game 15, Monday, April 17, 8:40 pm central

CHC: RHP Hayden Wesneski (0-0, 7.50 ERA)

OAK: LHP  Kyle Muller (0-0, 5.23 ERA)

The Cubs took two out of three from the Mariners at Wrigley and depart for the West Coast a game over .500, at 6-5. A day off on Thursday will give Dansby Swanson and Seiya Suzuki 24 more hours to be ready for game action before the team begins the six-game road trip. See below for matchups.

Game 12: Friday, April 14, 9:10 pm central

CHC: LHP Justin Steele (1-0, 0.75 ERA)

LAD: RHP Noah Syndergaard (0-1, 6.30 ERA)

The Cubs took two out of three from the Rangers to even their record at 4-4. They'll next greet the 4-6 Seattle Mariners for a three, game set at Wrigley. They'll have a day off on Thursday before embarking on a trip to the West Coast to face the Dodgers and the Athletics. See below for the daily matchups.

Following a rainout and a scheduled off-day, the Cubs rollover their rotation and return to Wrigley. There, they'll greet the 4-2 Rangers. See below for daily matchups.

Game 6: Friday, April 7, 1:20 pm central

CHC: RHP Marcus Stroman (1-0, 0.00 ERA)

TEX: RHP Nathan Eovaldi (1-0, 5.40 ERA)

Stroman braved a cold opening day at Wrigley and walked away with a win, 8 strikeouts, and a bunch of outs on the ground over 6 innings.

The Cubs opened the 2023 regular season with a win before dropping the next two home games in a competitive series with the Milwaukee Brewers. Dansby Swanson put an uneventful Spring Training behind him, going 7-11. Ian Happ also had a hot series, reaching base 7 times and tallying the first Cubs homerun of the season. Patrick Wisdom's 2 homeruns in the Sunday loss made up most of the rest of the Cubs' offense. Cody Bellinger is still in search of his first knock as a Cub. The squad will move on to their first road series against another NL Central opponent, the Cincinnati Reds.

If they so desire, the Cubs could add as many as 13 minor league Rule 5 Draft-eligible players to the MLB 40-man roster post-2022 (or perhaps even one or two of them during the month of September).  

So strictly as a thought-experiment, here is what the Cubs MLB 40-man roster - COULD - look like on November 18th, when off-season reserve lists must be filed with the MLB Commissioner in preparation for the 2022 Rule 5 Draft.