Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

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

Last updated 10-2-2023
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 22
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Brad Boxberger
Ben Brown
Jose Cuas
Tyler Duffey 
Jeremiah Estrada
Shane Greene
Kyle Hendricks
Caleb Kilian
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Daniel Palencia
Michael Rucker
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
Marcus Stroman
Jameson Taillon
Keegan Thompson
Hayden Wesneski 
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

INFIELDERS: 8
# Jeimer Candelario
Nico Hoerner
* Miles Mastrobuoni
* Matt Mervis
Christopher Morel
Dansby Swanson
Patrick Wisdom
* Jared Young

OUTFIELDERS: 8
Kevin Alcantara
* Cody Bellinger
Alexander Canario
* Pete Crow-Armstrong
Brennen Davis
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman

60-DAY IL: 6
Nick Burdi, P
Michael Fulmer, P 
Codi Heuer, P
* Brandon Hughes, P
Nick Madrigal, INF
Ethan Roberts, P
 


 

Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Snakes Sweep Cubs at Riverview

Francis Martinez smacked a bases-loaded bases-clearing three-run double, Ramon Hernandez belted a two-run double, and Gerard Hernandez drilled a two-run single, leading the Diamondbacks to a 7-3 victory over the Cubs on Field #5, and Fernery Ozuna ripped three singles, scored two runs, and drove-in another, Pedro Marquez hammered a two-run double and a single and scored a run, Chuck Taylor singled, doubled, walked, and scored two runs, and RHSP Luis Madera and three relievers combined to toss a five-hitter with ten strikeouts, helping the D'backs drub the Cubs 11-1 on Field #5, in a Cactus League Extended Spring Training split-squad doubleheader played this morning at the Riverview Baseball Complex in Mesa, AZ.

Jose Paniagua cracked a solo home run for the Cubs on Field #5, his third HR in seven Cactus League EXST games since being moved-down from South Bend last month. (Paniagua is hitting 304/348/696 in those seven games, and he leads the EXST Cubs in HR and is third on the team in RBI behind Isaac Paredes and Kevonte Mitchell). 

The doubleheader was planned as two seven-inning games, but the game on Field #5 was called after six innings of play. 

Diamondbacks hitters combined to collect 22 hits and draw eight walks during the course of the 13 innings played on the two fields.   

RHP Stephen Fife (on Iowa 7-day DL since 4/15 - oblique strain) started the game for the Cubs on Field #4, working 3.1 IP (39 pitches - 74% strikes) and allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits (five singles) and no walks, with one strikeout and a 4/4 GO/AO. 

Stephen Bruno (on Tennessee 7-day DL since Opening Day) played 2B for all seven innings on Field #4 and went 0-2 with two fly outs and a walk. This was Bruno's second EXST game (he played 2B for four innings on Saturday at Salt River Fields). 

Here are the abridged box scores from the two games (Cubs players only). 

FIELD #5

CUBS SQUAD "A" LINEUP
1. Ruben Reyes, LF: 0-3 (4-3, F-8, P-4)
2. Robert Garcia, RF: 0-2 (BB, E-1, K)
3. Yeiler Peguero, 2B: 1-3 (F-7, P-5, 1B, R)
4. Kevonte Mitchell, CF: 1-3 (F-9, K, 2B, R, RBI)
5. Jose Paniagua, DH #1: 1-3 (HR, K, 1B, R, RBI)
6. Isaac Paredes, SS: 1-2 (6-3, BB, 1B, RBI)
7. Kwang-Min Kwon, DH #2: 0-3 (K, P-6, K)
8. Rafael Mejia, 3B: 0-3 (F-9, F-8, F-9)
9. Jhonny Pereda, C: 0-2 (K, K)
10. Alberto Mineo, 1B: 1-1 (2B, BB) 

CUBS SQUAD "A" PITCHERS
1. Dylan Cease: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 4 K, 1 HBP, 1 WP, 1/1 GO/AO, 48 pitches (28 strikes) 
2. Enrique de los Rios: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R (2 ER), 3 BB, 1 K, 1/2 GO/AO, 40 pitches (22 strikes) 
3. John Michael Knighton: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R (2 ER), 0 BB, 1 K, 2/3 GO/AO, 22 pitches (14 strikes) 

CUBS SQUAD "A" ERRORS: 2 
1. 3B Rafael Mejia: E-5 (throwing error allowed batter to reach base safely) 
2. 3B Rafael Mejia: E-5 (errant throw to 1st base on infield single allowed baserunner to advance from 2nd to 3rd) 

CUBS SQUAD "A" CATCHERS DEFENSE
Jhonny Pereda: 1-1 CS, 1 PB 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

FIELD #4 

CUBS SQUAD "B" LINEUP
1. D. J. Wilson, CF: 2-3 (4-3, 1B, 1B, R)
2. Abraham Rodriguez, RF: 1-3 (4-3, 2B, K)
3. Stephen Bruno, 2B: 0-2 (F-7, BB, F-8)
4. Chris Pieters, DH #1: 1-2 (1B, F-8 SF, 1-U, RBI)
5. Wladimir Galindo, 3B: 0-3 (K, K, K)
6. Kevin Zamudio, 1B: 1-2 (K, BB, 2B)
7. Alex Bautista, LF: 0-3 (K, K, L-4)
8. Rafael Narea, SS: 0-2 (F-7, BB, K)
9. Eric Gonzalez, C: 0-2 (5-3, BB, K)
10. Jose Gonzalez, DH #2: 0-3 (K, F-9, P-5)

CUBS SQUAD "B" PITCHERS:
1. Stephen Fife: 3.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R (3 ER), 0 BB, 1 K, 4/4 GO/AO, 39 pitches (29 strikes)
2. Jose Leidenz: 1.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R (3 ER), 0 BB, 1 K, 1 WP, 0/2 GO/AO, 22 pitches (13 strikes)
3. Manny Rondon: 2.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R (3 ER), 3 BB, 3 K, 2 WP, 3/2 GO/AO, 64 pitches (35 strikes)

CUBS SQUAD  "B" ERRORS: 3 
1. C Eric Gonzalez: E-2 (throwing error after bunt allowed batter to reach base safely)
2. SS Rafael Narea: E-6 (errant throw on infield single allowed baserunner to advance from 2nd to 3rd) 
3. 3B Wladimir Galindo: E-5 (errant throw on attempted 5-4 FC allowed runner to reach 2nd base safely) 

CUBS SQUAD "B" CATCHERS DEFENSE
Eric Gonzalez: 1-2 CS, 1 E (see above) 

ATTENDANCE: 14 

WEATHER: Sunny with temperatures in the 80's 

Comments

it's gotta be driving wsox fans mad the cubs are getting so much press at home and nationally for their unreal start, while the "hardly anyone expected that" wsox are holding a 23-10 record (and a 6 game lead in the central). they're not being ignored, but their story is being heavily overshadowed by what's going on across town (especially with national coverage). south side can't win even when they're winning. if they keep this up we'll be hearing about a possible WSox vs Cubs WS for months down the stretch, though.

from today's Tribune...
Catcher Miguel Montero will join Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday to begin a rehabilitation assignment and could be activated from the 15-day disabled list by this weekend. Montero has been sidelined since April 25 because of lower back tightness.

from mlbtr...
One more from (BA, Matt) Eddy, who adds that the Reds traded outfielder Pin-Chieh Chen to the Dodgers in exchange for cash considerations. The 24-year-old Chen, signed by the Cubs as a free agent out of Taiwan prior to the 2010 season, has climbed as high as Double-A in the minors, spending parts of four seasons at that level and compiling a .236/.344/.327 batting line there. Baseball America rated him as Chicago’s No. 31 prospect prior to the 2012 season but didn’t rise higher than that on their prospect rankings.

The Cubs have purchased the contract of RHSP Alex Sanabia (ex-MIA) from los Toros de Tijuana (Mexican), and he will be assigned to AAA Iowa. Stephen Fife will have maybe one more EXST rehab start (probably next Saturday) and then he'll be back at Iowa, too. 

Also, LHP Tyler Ihrig (Cubs 2013 23rd round pick - Marin CC) has been released. Ihrig has the Bugs Bunny curve that maybe hits 60 MPH, and his fastball isn't much faster. The rubber-armed lefty swingman was most-recently assigned to Myrtle Beach, but he was constantly moved around from affiliate-to-affiliate (wherever he was needed). He carried all of his belongings with him whenever his team left on a road trip, because he never knew when he would be get moved up or down.  

[ ]

In reply to by The E-Man

E-MAN: Stephen Bruno lacks the athleticism, versatiity, and defensive chops to be a "supersub," so it's pretty much 2B or bust for him. 

Unfortunately for Bruno, the Cubs like to keep versatile multi-positional infielders at AAA (presently it's Kawasaki, Negron, Alcantara, and Watkins, plus JC Perez can play 2B-3B), so Bruno spent the 2014 & 2015 seasons playing 2B at AA Tennessee, and in fact he was moved-down to the AA Tennessee squad the last week of Minor League Camp this season. So if it weasn't that he was placed on the Tennessee DL on Opening Day, he'd be back at Tennessee in 2016, too. Except now Chesny Young has taken over the starting 2B job at Tennessee, where he's hitting 322 with a 431 OBP ,and has committed only one error. 

The best thing that could happen to Bruno is getting traded or released or maybe selected in the AAA Phase of the December 2016 Rule 5 Draft, so that he can get a new beginning in a different organization where his path forward (at least to AAA if not to MLB) is a bit more open. 

The 1969 Cubs had four HOFers. How many do you think the 2016 Cubs will have? Jenkins vs Arrieta Santo vs. Bryant Banks vs. Rizzo Williams vs ?

[ ]

In reply to by John Beasley

It will be interesting to see if modern stats start to become more important for HOF than absolute numbers (hits, HR, wins, etc.). Right now, it's still mostly about how many hit & HRs a hitter has and how many wins a pitcher has. WAR, OBP, OPS never seem to get mentioned -- it's almost like voters don't want to retroactively apply stats that didn't exist at the time.

[ ]

In reply to by billybucks

to be fair, ob% has played well into the HOF discussion even if it was "well, he walked a lot and we gotta take that into consideration" rather than the ob% stat, itself. WAR is as much of a hard sell on some as it is an easy sell for others...and there's more to it for those that don't like it than "stuck in the past" or "anti-advanced-stats." hell, there's not even consistent WAR values. right now j.arrieta is #1 overall WAR with baseball-reference's NL values and not even in the top 10 with fangraph's version.

Recent comments

  • Childersb3 10/03/2023 - 10:46 pm (view)

    I understand this is a cost saving and control idea. But I wouldn't be happy giving up ONKC or Alcantara for Hayes and/or Bednar.

    I'm not saying they aren't good players. They are. They've never been "tested" with playing for a good team, but that isn't their fault. They produce good results. But not Jaguar and Big Red.

    Canario won't get to play for the Cubs, just like Velazquez, so he should probably go. Same for Mervis and Vazquez. Wesneski can get better but Bednar would certainly help us.

    But not to big power hitting OFs that are 21 yrs old and younger at AA already. I'm still holding out hope for the ONKC-PCA-Jag left to right OF. I'm just not giving up on that.

    Hayes for Morel kind of stings. I'd love for Morel to get a full year at 3B. Even if he failed there miserably, I'd like to give him a shot.

    Phil always comes up with common sense angles. This trade idea fills needs for sure and fills them with cost saving effective players.

    I'm thinking Morel goes to NYM for Alonso.

    We'll see what Jed cooks up.

  • Arizona Phil 10/03/2023 - 10:18 pm (view)

    It used to be that teams did not want to trade within their own division for PR reasons, but I don't see that with Ben Cherington in Pittsburgh or with Hoyer / Hawkins in Chicago, so the Cubs might target Pirates 3B Ke'Bryan Hayes and closer David Bednar.

    Hayes is a Gold Glove defender, a decent enough hitter (105 OPS+ in 2023), and he's under control at a VERY reasonable price ($8.75M AAV) through 2029 (with a club option for 2030). 

    Bednar is first-time salary arbitration-eligible post-2023 and under control through 2026. 

    One thing about the Cubs is that they can afford to overpay (which is what they would have to do to get both Hayes and Bednar) with a package consisting of a decent young MLB position player to replace Hayes in the lineup (like Christopher Morel, who could play LF in Pittsburgh) and prospects like outfielders Alexander Canario, Owen Caissie, or Kevin Alcantara (Pirates pick one, leaving the other two for the Cubs), a power-hitting 1B-DH like Matt Mervis or Haydn McGeary (Pirates pick one, leaving the other one for the Cubs), SS Luis Vazquez (who is MLB-ready but will never play SS in Chicago), 3B B. J. Murray (who could replace Hayes at the hot corner in Pittsburgh by 2025 if not sometime in 2024, and he obviously would be blocked in Chicago if the Cubs get Hayes), and an MLB-ready SP like Hayden Wesneski. 

  • crunch 10/03/2023 - 10:02 pm (view)

    boog and glanville calling the PHI@MIL game on ESPN2.

  • crunch 10/03/2023 - 10:59 pm (view)

    bellinger is my #1 want, but i fear he's the #1 want of many teams and will get crazy money + years, with the years being the big sting.  they need to replace bellinger's production if they don't get him no matter what position(s) played.

  • George Altman 10/03/2023 - 10:40 pm (view)

    I hope their top priorities are Bellinger, 2 RPs better than Fulmer/Boxberger (ideally 1 LH), and a 3B (Chapman my 1st Choice). That will put them right up to $237-257M AAV limit, but I don't see a playoff berth doing anything less.

    If they really want Alonso, Morel would be a good opening piece of that offer. 

    Unfortunately, Stroman will opt in ($23.7M) and Smyly ($11.5M) will be back. Steele, Taillon, Assad, Wicks will be rotation pieces. Would love a SP2 FA but don't see how they keep an effective offense and improve their bullpen while adding that.

  • crunch 10/03/2023 - 10:03 pm (view)

    i cannot imagine getting a legit 3rd, whether signing or via trade, isn't the highest priority for the team.  it's almost obvious they don't see morel there.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester 10/03/2023 - 10:19 pm (view)

    I’m just hoping they have an actual 3B next year so we don’t need to worry about the M boys, Bote, and P Whiffy eating all the 3B at bats next year.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester 10/03/2023 - 10:13 pm (view)

    Willson was a OF/3B when we signed him too.

    On a less successful but still got to the show note, PJ Higgins was another college IF converted to C

  • crunch 10/03/2023 - 10:03 pm (view)

    truth...and personally, i'd give him ABs (especially at 3rd) over the 2 singles-hitting-ceiling guys that got the shot.  i'm sure he can cover the ob% and defense while surpassing the power of anything masterboney and madrigal brought to the team.

    i don't view bote as a solution at 3rd, but i find it hard to believe he couldn't outperform either of the main options they had there for a huge chunk of this season.

  • KingKongvsGodzilla 10/03/2023 - 10:47 pm (view)

    Color me impressed by this assignment for Trice right out of the draft as a convert. Seems worth following after the success of Caratini