Cubs MLB Roster

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40-Man Roster Info

39 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (one slot is open), plus two players are on the 60-DAY IL and one player has been DESIGNATED FOR ASSIGNMENT (DFA)   

26 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, and nine players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors, three players are on the 15-DAY IL, and one player is on the 10-DAY IL

Last updated 4-23-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 13
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Colten Brewer
Ben Brown
* Shota Imanaga
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Hector Neris 
Jameson Taillon 
Keegan Thompson
Hayden Wesneski 
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

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

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

OPTIONED: 9 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Jose Cuas, P 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Miles Mastrobuoni, INF
Daniel Palencia, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 

10-DAY IL: 1 
Seiya Suzuki, OF

15-DAY IL: 3
Kyle Hendricks, P 
* Drew Smyly, P 
* Justin Steele, P   

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

DFA: 1 
Garrett Cooper, 1B 
 




Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Zombie: A Tool or Five?

Submitted by Mike Wellman on

Is there anything Carlos Zambrano can't do on a baseball field [other than keep cool]? What is he, an ace or an ass?

Dave van Dyck speculates in this morning's Chicago Tribune that if Zombie [call him Big Z if you like; I call him Zombie - it will make a good stage name when he becomes a pro wrestler] misses his Friday start in Milwaukee one of three Iowa Cubs will take his place: Randy Wells, Mitch Atkins or Jose Ascanio.

Atkins' first two starts were poor and as a result he still carries a bloated and somewhat misleading ERA of 6.99. The last three have been better.

Wells has been solid from the outset in compiling an ERA of 3.13.

Both Atkins and Wells have K/BB ratios of 3:1 and are big, imposing righthanders.

Ascanio has made five starts and sports a sparkling ERA of 1.25 but only in his last outing did he go five innings. His pitch count that night was 81, the first time he's been that high as he transitions from relief to the rotation. Of the three candidates van Dyck names, Ascanio seems the least likely from here.

This morning's Des Moines Register says Wells will start the opener of the I-Cub homestand tonight versus Nashville. The team's website tabs Atkins. A complicating factor might also be that the team's last two games over the weekend in Memphis were rained out.

Atkins' last appearance was on April 30, Wells' was April 27 and Ascanio was May 1.

There's always Samardzija...MW

Tags
Iowa Cubs update

Comments

Submitted by WISCGRAD on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:45 am

The White Sox signed first baseman-outfielder Daryle Ward to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Charlotte. Ward hit .250/.300/.393 in 28 at-bats this spring before the Reds sent him packing. He played for the Newark Bears of the Atlantic League during the month of April.

Submitted by mannytrillo on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:09 am

The problem with Samardzija, and apparently Ascanio, is that they aren't properly stretched out. You can't have them start knowing basically best case scenerio is they get 5 innings. I'd rather take a flier on Wells.

Submitted by Ryno on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:33 am

Mike Wellman: Dave van Dyck speculates in this morning's Chicago Tribune that if [Zambrano] misses his Friday start in Milwaukee one of three Iowa Cubs will take his place... Isn't that Heilman's job? And besides, I don't think you'll find many ball players as exciting as Zambrano. I think many of us want our Cubs to be high-energy ball players like that. I'll take the risk of him hurting a leg trying to beat out a bunt. That's effing awesome.

Submitted by Jeff_Pico on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:35 am

These type of spot starts you just have to see what happens. Chances are you aren't going to see any of them put up great numbers in their first major league starts. If no one goes on the DL, I'd say Samardzija is the choice for 4-5 innings and then Guzman and Patton after that.

Submitted by Charlie on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:52 am

Too bad for Heilman he's been an effective late inning reliever. If he had been stretched out, or stayed stretched out, he'd make plenty of sense. How long has it been since Samardzija made a start? He ought to still be at least as stretched out as Ascanio, right? I believe AZ Phil mentioned in a recent post that Randy Wells would be the most likely replacement starter at this point in the season (if anyone is called up from Iowa to start). If Phil thinks it's a good idea, I'm for it.

[ ]

Submitted by Cubnut on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:26 pm

Tonight's interview with the Red Stars player may have been historic: she was so uninteresting, Len dismissed her even before the second out of the half inning. As much as we hate these interviews, Kasper and Brenly must hate them more.

Santo seems quite happy with them, however, as though he is receiving company in his living room.

Loved this Santo question of Peter Cetera—"So what are your hobbies?"

[ ]

Submitted by Jeff_Pico on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:11 pm

http://espn.go.com/chicago/columns/blog?post=4135612&name=levine Here's the post from Levine. Of course equating Zambrano's injury to Sutcliffe is a little premature. So I'm assuming we'll get to see a couple of starts from one of the Iowa guys. I bet Z only misses 2-3 starts. As for the 'should he have bunted' question? He's just as likely to pull his hamstring on a groundout to short as a bunt. I'm just glad this happened in a game he started and not a PH appearance. Baseball is a game of risk you can't wrap the guys up in bubble wrap.

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Submitted by The Joe on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:39 pm

I agree. He's a ballplayer, if he gets hurt running to first, you can't really fault him for that. I think it was Kruk who said something to the effect "that's why power hitters don't bunt". Saying, if you bunt for a hit, you are guaranteeing a sprint to the base as opposed to a basehit where he doesn't necessarily need to go full speed. I think it's a good point, but I'm still fine with Zambie doing what he does.

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Submitted by The Real Neal on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:57 pm

The reason Kruk didn't bunt was because he was too fat. The reason power hitters don't bunt is because they don't want singles, they want doubles and HR's. Some power hitters who are reasonable athletes will bunt, particuarly to get rid of a shift. I remember Edmonds doing that a couple of years ago.

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Submitted by Charlie on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:47 pm

I for one am in favor of giving Samardzija the start. He needs the innings anyway (he should be starting in Iowa). Otherwise, reports no Randy Wells seem to be positive.

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Submitted by Ryno on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:07 pm

I agree 100%. Z isn't going to be out 4 wks. It's not an arm injury. Also agree that shit happens. Of course you be careful with these guys but if they can help the team, ie pitcher PHing, well that's what he's there to do.

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Submitted by mannytrillo on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:32 pm

We all know the Cubs and their injury reports, so let's just hope it is 2-4 weeks and that Z gets 100% healthy and it is not something he needs to deal with the rest of the year. Even 4 weeks is not the end of the world, and with a $140MM payroll, the Cubs should be able to handle it. Unfortunately their minor league system is not very good, but with 2 off days the next 2 Mondays, we should be able to skip that spot a few times.

Submitted by Mike Vail on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:44 pm

Did anyone ask Fergie or Mad Dog to take Z's spot in the rotation? Was anyone at the game yesterday? How was the ceremony? I missed the ceremony but saw the game.

Submitted by Dr. aaron b on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:10 pm

I was at Atkins start in Memphis last Thursday. He didn't look good at all. Sam Fuld saved his bacon on several occasions. Atkins was giving up line drives in the gap all game. There was a light rain/drizzle all night to effect the hitters, and it still didn't matter. Topped out at 90 pitched mostly at 86-88.

Submitted by The E-Man on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:19 pm

That's cool, Dr. The only MiLB game I have seen ever was at Wrigley last summer. One of these years I want to hit Peoria, Indianapolis (I've been told its a great park), and Lansing. Re: Z Meh. As I posted the other day, I love the guy, and he "tweaked" his hammy with a perfect bunt! Sean Marshall cannot even get a fucking bunt down when he squares up, let alone a thing of beauty like Z, Until there is DH in the NL, this stuff will happen. I don't have a problem with the way it did.We knew that we'd have a starter go down at one point or another. It sucks that not only did we trade Marquis, but Hendry DFA'd the pitcher we traded for! That makes perfect sense to me...

[ ]

Submitted by Wes on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:30 pm

Indianapolis is indeed a beautiful ballpark. Best minor league park in the country and it isn't close. Great view of the Indy skyline from behind home plate. I'd wait a year or two if you plan on making a special trip down, however. They're building a new hotel across the street and there's a bunch of construction equipment and stuff behind the LF fence that really detracts from the view right now. I'll be there tonight. Hoping for an A-Rod rehab sighting so I can boo the shit out of him.

Submitted by mannytrillo on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:08 pm

Any word on Vizcaino? I think the Cubs 10 days are up. Did he get traded, accept assignment or did the Cubs just released him?

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Submitted by Charlie on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:33 pm

Randy Wells pitched one inning for Toronto after they selected him n the Rule 5 draft, and I think 2 innings for Chicago last year. Samardzija, of course, has some MLB relief experience. Ascanio pitched a few innings for the Cubs last year in relief. I don't think Mitch Atkins has made any MLB appearances. So, minimal.

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Submitted by The Real Neal on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:20 pm

According to BP, his last three years in the minors translate to about what Henry Blanco did for us last year. He's actually down a little bit on his typical BABIP numbers in Iowa this year, so at least to this point those numbers look legit. Hopefully he'll perform well enough to send Gathright packing.

Submitted by crunch on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:40 pm

...and Z officially goes on the DL. no idea replacement...looking like scales, though. esp. if he's at wrigley taking grounders.

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Submitted by Charlie on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:56 pm

I'm sure AZ Phil or Mike W could respond in more detail, but it looks like the only two starters doing much at AA are Casey Coleman and Casey Lambert. Coleman was drafted just last year and is very young; he's also just getting his first taste of AA ball. Lambert has less impressive strikeout numbers, but his WHIP is lower and he's got an ERA of 2.76 in 127.1 minor league innings. However, until this year he's mostly been used as a reliever. Lambert would be more likely to be called up to replace Cotts (or just to be a second lefty) than he would to fill a rotation spot. These guys have to be behind Wells, Ascanio, Atkins, and Caridad on the depth chart.

Submitted by Paul Noce on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:46 pm

I always wondered how much money these minors leaguers see for a small cup of coffee, so I did a quick calculation. If Scales is with the club for four days, M/T/W/Th before being sent back down, he would get almost 10 grand, plus daily meal money. (Lg. minimum salary 400k over 6+ months is about 2,200 day for rookies). Not bad. Especially if he's only making 25-35k in the minors. Imagine how just getting called up for September can be a huge financial plus to a fringe player.

Submitted by The Real Neal on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:21 pm

Musket says: It'll be LF Soriano, SS Theriot, RF Bradley, 1B Lee, 3B Ramirez, C Soto, CF Johnson, 2B Miles and P Dempster.

Submitted by Romero on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:43 pm

The irony of Zambrano going to the DL is that we lose our most dangerous pinch-hitter. :) That said, I look forward to seeing what Scales can do if he's called up. These are his AAA stats since 2005 (which have steadily improved each season): 1628 AB, 481 H, 94 2B, 20 3B, 50 HR, 215 BB, 398 K .295/.378/.470 (.848 OPS). To me, that's a pretty solid, consistent, AAA line over a large sample size. This shows me he has a good eye, decent power, but will strike out a lot (which might be a big problem). What I'd kind of expect is for Scales to hit better than Aaron Miles and be able to play 3B, 2B, 1B (behind Lee and Hoffpauir) and in LF and RF (he's played over 250 games in the OF in the minors). As a switch-hitter, he gives Piniella better options against LHPs than we currently have. It's possible that Scales only stays on the roster for a few days, but in the best of all possible worlds, I imagine Scales could hit near his minor league numbers (I'd gladly take anything over .330-.350/.400-.450) and play passable defense at multiple positions, allowing Miles to stick to being ONLY the back-up SS (and emergency catcher and also motel-room security) with Scales also being Fontenot's platoon partner at 2B against LHP (instead of Miles). And for the human element, I don't see ANYTHING but positive things coming from a 31-year old making his MLB debut. Certainly that has to have a motivating effect on the rest of the team. If Scales could do all these things, I see that as more valuable than Joey Gathright, who has only contributed a few innings with his glove and is 1 for 3 in SBs. GO CUBS!

Submitted by Ryno on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:55 pm

ASG voting going on now, if you are into that sort of thing. I'm not eff-ing around with voting 25 times, but I voted once and Ramirez, Fukudome, and Soriano made my list. I considered writing-in Bobby Scales but decided against it. *rolls eyes*

Submitted by The E-Man on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:37 pm

randy wells starts Friday per Hendry on CSN, tonight. shitty ab by reed johnson w bases juiced.

Submitted by mannytrillo on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:44 pm

Ok seriously what juice is Theriot on? :) This is amazing...

Submitted by The E-Man on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:59 pm

Cubs should have at least six runs. bases loaded 3x. very frustrating... oh well, still 4-2 good guys now

Submitted by Q-Ball on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:06 pm

Question, for Iowa Mike or AZ Phil: Who is Greg Reinhard? He's from Marinette, and went to UW-Whitewater, so he's a cheesehead and borderline Yooper. He also has a very high K-rate at AAA, and a .55 ERA, after a pretty good campaign in AA last year. Prospect at all?

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Submitted by Rob G. on Tue, 05/05/2009 - 05:10 am

Cubs got him in the trade for Jae-kuk Ryu along with OF and OF Andrew Lopez. I'm sure he was recommended by Wilken who drafted him for the Rays.

 The biggest thing was last year I kind of figured out what kind of pitcher I was going to be out of the ‘pen. Along with the slider, I started throwing a split. When I was in Tampa, they converted everyone to curveball and changeup. I think now I’ve been able to get back to a slider and split. When I first came over (in ’07), I was still trying to throw a changeup. I’m throwing a slider and then a split-finger. … I just started throwing [the split] last year. I was kind of having trouble with the changeup and when I went to Iowa, Mike Mason asked me if I’d ever thrown one, which I had, so he gave me the green light. 

Submitted by WISCGRAD on Tue, 05/05/2009 - 05:58 am

Maybe 3/44, but from the bottom notes section of a Cubs.com article it says that Luis Vizcaino was released by the Cubs, so they found no takers for a trade after designating him. Interesting to see who signs him and how well or poorly he does.

Recent comments

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    This is Cubs adjacent but…


    Jordan Walker just was optioned by the deadbirds. For all the talk of the Cardinals development machine, they’ve really missed on a lot of can’t miss superstars lately. Walker has struggled. Gorman has been okay. They’re already trying to push Carlson out the door. Their pitching system has been so bad they had to go out and sign basically a full rotation over the last two offseasons.

    They’ve still developed a few of those pesky solid players, like Donovan, Edman, and Nootbaar. Their two best prospect to MLB players have been Adolis and Arozarena, neither of which is a cardinal.

    I hope they never figure it out again. Cardinal failure brings me such joy.
     

  • Raisin101 (view)

    Thank you so much! I really appreciate not only all your posts but how eager you are to respond to our questions.

  • Sonicwind75 (view)

    Is it just me or does it seem that official scorers are becoming less likely to call a misplay an error? 

     

    Guess I've hit my cranky old-man phase in life.  "I remember back in the day when an error was an error.  Official scorers have gone soft.  Now where did I put my readers?!!??"

     

    Sidenote, maybe Bellinger should be a little more careful against the Astros.  That was the series last year that a play at wall put him on the IL.   

  • crunch (view)

    i hated the almonte pickup, but he's 9-10 out of 12 for good outings, following a great spring.  hope he can keep it up.

    i already miss cooper, but yeah...the thin OF roster backup the team seems to want to carry probably got wisdom preference over cooper.  i could live without seeing wisdom at 3rd unless it's a blowout, though.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Things I've been wrong about:

    -Tauchman is fine as a 4th OF. I knew that. I just want a better LH DH option and he was really the DH for us until Seiya got hurt. I'm glad Mervis is getting a chance at it. Caissie is coming for that job for sure. But Tauchman continues to be highly useful as a 4th OF with Seiya being hurt

    -I wanted Yency to go to get guys at Iowa a chance. Guys like Palencia and Sanders or RileyT. Maybe even Hodge! But Yency has been better the last two plus weeks. He did hit 96 the other day. He was 93 in Texas to open the season.

    -Leiter has his split working enough. It just needs to stay there

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    Things I got right so far:

    -Hendricks. Sorry Kyle. You got paid though!

    Jed, you missed there.

    -Smyly. If Jed could've traded him before or during ST, then he should have and saved some cash.

    -Mastro.  Not a LH DH. Pinch runner. Defensive utility. Maybe he's better than Madrigal but didn't get a legit chance to prove it.

    -Luke Little is good. He's had one bad outing. That's it. Needs to get better entering with guys on base. But he needs to stay in MLB.

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  • crunch (view)

    bellinger "right rib contusion"

  • Childersb3 (view)

    South Bend just lost the lead in the bottom of the 9th on the weirdest scenario, ever.

    It's absolutely pouring rain....men on 1st and 2nd, 1out....JPatterson asks for a new ball, but no time out was called....he throws the old ball toward the dugout (not sure if it rolled out of play).....the ump declares the runners get two bases each so one run scores. Then a single up the middle ties the game.

    The rain was coming down in buckets at this point.

    Just weird

  • crunch (view)

    ...and bellinger is gone in the 7th because of that 2nd blown chance and the wall he bounced off of...

    hopefully his rib cage/shoulder feels better tomorrow, we just got happ back.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Phil,

    Any thoughts on Y. Rojas' stuff and Y. Melendez's game (I believe I've asked about him before, sorry)?

  • crunch (view)

    wow, things are moving fast.  hopefully it continues.

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