Cubs MLB Roster

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40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full), plus two players are 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 4-18-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 13
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Colten Brewer
Ben Brown
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Mark Leiter Jr
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
Jameson Taillon 
Keegan Thompson
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

INFIELDERS: 7
* Michael Busch 
Garrett Cooper
Nico Hoerner
Nick Madrigal
Christopher Morel
Dansby Swanson
Patrick Wisdom

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Cody Bellinger 
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

OPTIONED: 12 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Jose Cuas, P 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Luke Little, P 
* Miles Mastrobuoni, INF
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 
Hayden Wesneski, P 

10-DAY IL: 1 
Seiya Suzuki, OF

15-DAY IL: 
* Justin Steele, P   

60-DAY IL: 2 
Caleb Kilian, P 
Julian Merryweather, P
 




Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Angel Guzman Throws in Intrasquad Game at Fitch Park

Submitted by Arizona Phil on

Continuing his rehab from last September's Tommy John surgery, Angel Guzman threw 14 pitches (8 balls & 6 strikes) in an EXST Camp Day intrasquad game at Fitch Park this morning. 

Guzman had previously thrown a "simulated game" last Friday and a "live" BP session on Monday.   

Guzman faced four batters, walking Junior Lake on four pitches to start the game. Then an errant pick-off throw by Guzman allowed Lake to advance to 2nd base. Brandon Guyer grounded out to short on an 0-1 pitch, as Lake advanced to 3rd base with one out.

Drew Rundle then pulled a hard-hit ground double past 1st base on a 1-0 pitch, driving in Lake for the first run. Rundle stole third on the first pitch to clean-up hitter John Contreras, before Contreras hit a F-8 SF on a 3-2 pitch to finish Guzman's day (he was supposed to throw "around" 15 pitches).

As long as he has no setbacks from today's outing, Guzman will probably make his Cactus League Extended Spring Training game debut sometime next week

Recently converted to pitcher, ex-catcher Jake Muyco got into his first game action today, and struggled through his one inning of work, allowing two runs. 

Today's intrasquad game also provided a rare glimpse of RHP Chris Huseby, who has been suffering from an EXTREME control problem since Minor League Camp that has limited him to bullpen sessions and one "live" BP session that went just so-so. .

One of the Cubs better pitching prospects coming into the 2008 season, Huseby was expected to start the year at the top of Peoria's starting rotation. But the 6'7 right-hander just can't find home plate.

It's very similar to what happened with Luke Hagerty last year, where his pitches either bounce in the dirt, or go over the catcher's head, or hit the batter. And it's the reason he has been held out of game action. He's just plain dangerous.  

And today was a good example, as Huseby was yanked after just 11 pitches (only two strikes), an outing where he walked two, hit a batter (and almost hit two others), and threw two wild pitches.

Huseby probably will be assigned to Boise when the short season leagues begin play next month (with a 30-man roster, the Hawks can afford to stash away some extra pitchers), but he probably won't get much game action until he can find home plate. .
 
Today also marked the return of Cubs 2007 5th round pick Brandon Guyer to LF. Prior to today, Guyer (a Matt Murton clone) had been restricted to DH duty only while recovering from a fractured elbow.

Guyer will likely be assigned to Boise next month, although he could get moved up to Peoria before that if the Cubs feel the Chiefs need a right-handed hitting LF to platoon with Dylan Johnston.  

As is sometimes necessary due to not having enough players available to staff two squads, the position players rotated between defense and offense without regard to "teams" in today's intrasquad game. Some of the players got more ABs than others, while others did not hit at all.

Here is the box score (such as it is):

POSITION PLAYERS:
Junior Lake, SS: 0-2 (R, BB, 2 K)
Brandon Guyer, LF: 0-1
Drew Rundle, RF: 1-1 (RBI, R, 2B, SB)
John Contreras, 1B: 1-1 (3 RBI, 3B, SF, CS)
George Matheus, 2B: 1-2 (R, HBP)  
Gian Guzman, SS: 0-4 (R, BB)
Cesar Salazar, CF: 1-3 (RBI, BB)
Bryan Jost, 1B: 2-4 (2 RBI, 2 R, 2B, 2 K, SB)
Nelson Perez, RF: 1-3 (R, CS)
Jeffrey Rea, 2B: 0-2
Luis Bautista, C: 0-0 (R, HBP)
Alvaro Sosa, C: 0-1
Josh Vitters, 3B: DID NOT BAT (sore hand)
Kevin Soto, LF-CF: DID NOT BAT
Roberto Sabates and Carlos Perez warmed-up pitchers in the bullpen but did not get an AB, and Dwayne Kemp and Starlin Castro did not play.

PITCHERS:

SQUAD "A"
1. Jake Muyco - 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 1 HBP, 1 WP  0/2 GO/FO)
2. Carlos Rojas - 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (1/1 GO/FO)
3. Ryan Searle - 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K  (2/0 GO/FO)
 
SQUAD "B"
1. Angel Guzman - 0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 0 K (1/1 GO/FO)
2. Chris Huseby - 0.0 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 0 K, 1 HBP, 2 WP
3. Eduardo Figueroa - 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K (2/4 GO/FO)

ERROR (2):

Angel Guzman overthrow on pick-off attempt at 1B allowed runner to advance to 2B, 

Junior Lake made errant throw trying to double runner off 2nd base after catching a line drive, and runner scored from 2nd base (the throw went into the RF corner):

CATCHERS DEFENSE:
Luis Bautista: 1-3 CS
Alvaro Sosa: 1-1 CS

WEATHER: Overcast with game-time highs in the 80's

ATTENDANCE: 3 (I've noticed that Camp Day usually doesn't draw quite as well as the other days)

Tags
Extended Spring Training
Jake Muyco
Chris Huseby
Angel Guzman

Comments

Submitted by navigator on Thu, 05/15/2008 - 05:56 pm

Let 'em pitch exclusively to Felix Pie in simulated games. He'll swing at everything out of the zone and take anything in it and they'll both get their confidence back.

Submitted by Dmac on Thu, 05/15/2008 - 05:00 pm

Guzman is quickly becoming the mythical beast of yore, akin to the Unicorn or Centaur. AZ Phil, what are the club's expectations for this oft - injured budding phenom? If he gets promoted to Peoria and/or AA before the season's over, will his TJ surgery be considered successful? Thanks in advance for responding.

Submitted by Charlie on Thu, 05/15/2008 - 05:44 pm

AZ Phil: Thanks for a great report, as usual. You've probably seen enough of Angel Guzman to have an opinion--is their something in his delivery that has contributed to all his injuries, or does he just seem to you to have an especially fragile arm? Thanks.

Submitted by Chifan on Thu, 05/15/2008 - 05:19 pm

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/8143654/Rockies-could-be-in-market-t… Could be an option if Edmonds doesnt work out. Holliday would be under Cubs control next year before he is a FA and Aaron Cook is a FA after this year so I could also imagine he would be on the block to. Maybe in a perfect world we could pull off Cook and Holliday for Murton, Pie, Gallagher, Hill, Epat, Ceda, and Veal Jimbo couldnt probably pull the trigger on the deal due to ownership, but adding Holliday would give us the a top 5 line-up in MLB history and Cook can help stablize the rotation. The deal would also fill COL needs in LF and 2b, give them a pitcher taylor made for Coors in Gallagher, some good pen arms in Ceda and Veal and a CF who can go it in that large park in Pie.

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Fri, 05/16/2008 - 05:26 am

Submitted by Hagsag on Thu, 05/15/2008 - 3:43pm.

Phil, Is Rhee at Fitch? Have you heard any report on him? Thanks.

=============================

HAGSAG: Dae-Eun Rhee is not at EXST. Apparently he is still with Peoria, although he remains on the DL.

[ ]

Submitted by big_lowitzki on Fri, 05/16/2008 - 05:22 am

Soto, Lee, Z should all be in without question. But I would also say that Dempster should be in without question, and Fukudome, ARam, and Marmol all have very legitimate arguments to get in. Fukudome is 4th among NL RF in OPS, plays excellent defense, and leads all of baseball in walks. And don't forget the power of the Japanese vote. ARam is 2nd among NL 3b in OPS.

[ ]

Submitted by Rob G. on Fri, 05/16/2008 - 05:15 pm

Current VORP for NL First Basemen:

Berkman 42
Pujols 28
C. Jackson: 17
Derrek Lee: 16.6

I'd say Marmol, Z, Soto, Ramirez (as a backup to Chipper) would be deserving

Dempster (12th in VORP),Lee and Fukudome on the outskirts. Soriano still can get himself in the discussion.

 

[ ]

Submitted by big_lowitzki on Fri, 05/16/2008 - 05:58 pm

Yea... I looked after, and saw the 1b numbers. Lee has seen a significant drop in May. And Berkman has been ridiculous. And again... Fukudome may not necessarily have the numbers, but it wouldn't surprise me if he was voted in as a starter. Or at least voted in as the final guy.

Submitted by navigator on Fri, 05/16/2008 - 05:33 am

MH hit another home run last night for the I-Cubs. That makes three games in a row he homered. Our erstwhile #3 SP RICH is on the HILL tonight at 7 PM.

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Fri, 05/16/2008 - 05:23 am

Submitted by Charlie on Thu, 05/15/2008 - 6:44pm.

AZ Phil: Thanks for a great report, as usual.

You've probably seen enough of Angel Guzman to have an opinion--is their something in his delivery that has contributed to all his injuries, or does he just seem to you to have an especially fragile arm? Thanks.

 ==================================

CHARLIE: I don't know why Guzman has had both shoulder and elbow injuries.

As crunch mentioned, Guzman has developed a large repertoire of pitches thrown from multiple arm slots over the years, but right now he's throwing just fastball-curve-change, and he's throwing the pitches pain free and his fastball has good velocity.

His main problem (and this is typical for TJS rehabbers) is a lack of command on his fastball. Yesterday, Guzman had difficulty throwing his fastball over the plate, but once he gets that fixed, he should be ready for advancement.

If there are no medical setbacks, I would expect Gooz to remain at Fitch Park until sometime in mid-July, and then go on a 30-day rehab (pitchers get up to 30 days), probably initially at Daytona. Then the Cubs could option Guzman to Iowa (for instance) anytime after August 11th and recall him when rosters expand on September 1st. (As long as Guzman spends less than 90 days on an active regular season major league or minor league roster in 2008, and no more than 19 days on optional assignment, his 4th minor league option year will be preserved for 2009). 

But if the Cubs option Guzman to the minors after his rehab assignment is over, they have to make sure to recall him from his optional assignment before he hits 20 days, or else his 4th and final minor league option would get burned. 

Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Fri, 05/16/2008 - 05:02 pm

Harvey is not the only guy who deserved to get knocked back to Daytona. Harvey probably has a better chance of pitching in the majors than that wide receiver does. Can the Cubs still trade Samardzija to an NFL team? Samardzija's line yesterday: 4 innings, 10 hits, 6 runs, 6 ER, 5 walks, 1 K, 1 HR.

[ ]

Submitted by crunch on Fri, 05/16/2008 - 05:21 pm

wins and losses in minor league games? last friday i saw jeff neimann...TB pimp...pitch 3ip of AAA ball then hand it over to the pen to help get the loss. why 3ip of ball? cuz that's what he and the parent organization needed...not the team. the concept of a "team" in the minor leagues is sketchy at best. its structured exercise of what's been worked on in practice, especially at the lower levels unless you already got your refinement down or the coaches don't care enough to tweak you anymore and are gonna let you sink/swim your own way. what about the win? what about it...minor leagues aren't there to win games (psst, dont tell the fans).

Recent comments

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    I don’t see Tauchman as a weak link in any position. He simply adds his value in a different way.

    I don’t know that we gain much by putting him in the outfield - Happ, Bellinger and Suzuki and Tauchman all field their positions well. If you’re looking for Taucnman’s kind of AB in a particular game I don’t see why it can’t come from DH.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Tauchman gets a pinch hit RBI single with a liner to RF. This is his spot. He's a solid 4th OF. But he isn't a DH. 

    He takes pitches. Useful. I still believe in having good hitters.

    You don't want your DH to be your weak link (other than your C maybe)

  • crunch (view)

    bit of a hot take here, but i'm gonna say it.

    the 2024 marlins don't seem to be good at doing baseballs.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Phil, will the call up for a double header restart that 15 days on assignment for a pitcher? Like will wesneski’s 15 days start yesterday, or if he’s the 27th man, will that mean 15 days from tomorrow?

    I hope that makes sense. It sounds clearer in my head.

  • Charlie (view)

    Tauchman obviously brings value to the roster as a 4th outfielder who can and should play frequently. Him appearing frequently at DH indicated that the team lacks a valuable DH. 

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Totally onboard with your thoughts concerning today’s lineup. Not sure about your take on Tauchman though.

    The guy typically doesn’t pound the ball out out of the park, and his BA is quite unimpressive. But he brings something unique to the table that the undisciplined batters of the past didn’t. He always provides a quality at bat and he makes the opposing pitcher work because he has a great eye for the zone and protects the plate with two strikes exceptionally well. In addition to making him a base runner more often than it seems through his walks, that kind of at bat wears a pitcher down both mentally and physically so that the other guys who may hit the ball harder are more apt to take advantage of subsequent mistakes and do their damage.

    I can’t remember a time when the Cubs valued this kind of contribution but this year they have a couple of guys doing it, with Happ being the other. It doesn’t make for gaudy stats but it definitely contributes to winning ball games. I do believe that’s why Tauchman has garnered so much playing time.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Miles Mastrobuoni cannot be recalled until he has spent at least ten days on optional assignment, unless he is recalled to replace a position player who is placed on an MLB inactive list (IL, Paternity, Bereavement / Family Medical). 

     

    And for a pitcher it's 15 days on optional assignment before he can be recalled, unless he is replacing a pitcher who is placed on an MLB inactive list (IL, Paternity, or Bereavement / Family Medical). 

     

    And a pitcher (or a position player, but almost always it's a pitcher) can be recalled as the 27th man for a doubleheader regardless of how many days he has been on optional assignment, but then he must be sent back down again the next day. 

     

    That's why the Cubs had to wait as long as they did to send Jose Cuas down and recall Keegan Thompson. Thompson needed to spend the first 15 days of the MLB regular season on optional assignment before he could be recalled (and he spent EXACTLY the first 15 days of the MLB regular season on optional assignment before he was recalled). 

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Indeed they do TJW!

    For the record I’m not in favor of solely building a team through paying big to free agents. But I’m also of the mind that when you develop really good players, get them signed to extensions that buy out a couple years of free agency, including with team options. And supplement the home grown players with free agent splashes or using excess prospects to trade for stars under team control for a few years. Sort of what Atlanta does, basically. Everyone talks about the dodgers but I feel that Atlanta is the peak organization at the current moment.

    That said, the constant roster churn is very Rays- ish. What they do is incredible, but it’s extremely hard to do which is why they’re the only ones frequently successful that employ that strategy. I definitely do not want to see a large market team like ours follow that model closely. But I don’t think free agent frenzies is always the answer. It’s really only the Dodgers that play in that realm. I could see an argument for the Mets too. The Yankees don’t really operate like that anymore since the elder Steinbrenner passed. Though I would say the reigning champions built a good deal of that team through free agent spending.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    The issue is the Cubs are 11-7 and have been on the road for 12 of those 18.  We should be at least 13-5, maybe 14-4. Jed isn't feeling any pressure to play anyone he doesn't see fit.
    But Canario on the bench, Morel not at 3B for Madrigal and Wisdom in RF wasn't what I thought would happen in this series.
    I was hoping for Morel at 3B, Canario in RF, Wisdom at DH and Madrigal as a pinch hitter or late replacement.
    Maybe Madrigal starts 1 game against the three LHSP for Miami.
    I'm thinking Canario goes back to Iowa on Sunday night for Mastrobuoni after the Miami LHers are gone.
    Canario needs ABs in Iowa and not bench time in MLB.
    With Seiya out for a while Wisdom is safe unless his SOs are just overwhelmingly bad.

    My real issue with the lineup isn't Madrigal. I'm not a fan, but I've given up on that one.
    It's Tauchman getting a large number of ABs as the de factor DH and everyday player.
    I didn't realize that was going to be the case.
    We need a better LH DH. PCA or ONKC need to force the issue in about a month.
    But, even if they do so, Jed doesn't have to change anything if the Cubs stay a few over .500!!!

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Totally depends on the team and the player involved. If your team’s philosophy is to pay huge dollars to bet on the future performance of past stars in order to win championships then, yes, all of the factors you mentioned are important.

    If on the other hand, if the team’s primary focus is to identify and develop future stars in an effort to win a championship, and you’re a young player looking to establish yourself as a star, that’s a fit too. Otherwise your buried within your own organization.

    Your comment about bringing up Canario for the purposes of sitting him illustrates perfectly the dangers of rewarding a non-performing, highly paid player over a hungry young prospect, like Canario, who is perpetually without a roster spot except as an insurance call up, but too good to trade. Totally disincentivizing the performance of the prospect and likely diminishing it.

    Sticking it to your prospects and providing lousy baseball to your fans, the consumers and source of revenue for your sport, solely so that the next free agent gamble finds your team to be a comfortable landing spot even if he sucks? I suppose  that makes sense to some teams but it’s definitely not the way I want to see my team run.

    Once again, DJL, our differences in philosophy emerge!

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