Cubs MLB Roster

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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

Once Again, It's Homer or Nuthin' (Mostly Nuthin'); Cubs Lose 2-1 to L.A.

Submitted by Cubnut on

Today at Baseball Prospectus (subscription), Joe Sheehan wrote about how the Cubs have become one of baseball's most home run-dependent teams and tonight, we saw, yet again, where that generally gets you.

A pinch-hit home run by Bobby Scales in the eighth inning against Randy Wolf accounted for all the Cubs' scoring Thursday night in the team's most recent, painful defeat.

Young Randy Wells, starting in place of the injured Rich Harden, delivered yet another terrific start, holding the Dodgers to just 2 runs over 7 innings. He made tough pitches when he had to, fanning seven and walking one. Wells departed with his season ERA still at a glittering 1.80.

The Cubs looked feeble against Dodgers starter Randy Wolf through most of his 7+ innings. The veteran lefty matched Wells with 7 K and 1 BB, but he kept the Cubs off the scoreboard until Scales's blast in the eighth. Wolf helped his cause by inducing three double-plays. Also, as a team, the Cubs went 0-for-8 with men in scoring position.

The bottom of the ninth was just a killer. Milton Bradley dropped an ugly but well-placed bunt for a single to lead off the inning, then Derrek Lee followed with another single, moving Bradley to second. After trying and failing to bunt the runners over, Reed Johnson eventually did advance Bradley and Lee with an infield dribbler. Following an intentional walk to Geovany Soto, Dodgers reliever Ramon Troncoso, subbing for the recently overworked Jonathon Broxton, fanned Scales and Jake Fox to quell the rally and drop the Cubs back to .500.

About Fox...

The basher without a position entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the eighth, right after Scales had homered, and he ripped a single to centerfield. Fox then played the field in the top of the ninth, manning third base and actually handling a chance successfully (though Scales was nearly folded in half by Russell Martin as he received Fox's throw to complete a force out at second base.)

 

Tags
Game Recap
Randy Wells
Jake Fox
Bobby Scales

Comments

Submitted by Jeff_Pico on Thu, 05/28/2009 - 05:20 pm

More of the same. This offense is just a wreck. It was a nice mirage against the Pirates but now back to the slump. If Randy Wells can keep this pace, which is doubtful, he's ROY caliber. There's really not much they can do but just more waiting for guys to come around. Get Fox and Hoffpauir more Ab's might get a little more offense, Scales will probably be the everyday 2b for a while. Blanco hasn't shown anything, nor is he expected to.

Submitted by crunch on Fri, 05/29/2009 - 05:20 am

"The basher without a position entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the eighth, right after Scales had homered, and he ripped a single to centerfield. Fox then played the field in the top of the ninth, manning third base and actually handling a chance successfully (though Scales was nearly folded in half by Russell Martin as he received Fox's throw to complete a force out at second base.) " imo, that's really generous. fox played it like crap and threw it off mark. scales' footwork at 2nd was non-existent...after catching the off mark throw he stood up and basically took a football style hit because he just kinda...froze. that was a double play ball butchered into a close force out at 2nd.

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Submitted by OakLawnGuy on Fri, 05/29/2009 - 05:36 am

Brenly fired off a little on last night's telecast regarding Fox's late arrival. He said Ramirez was hurt three weeks ago and Fox was hitting .450, why didn't Dickerson or the organization put Fox at 3B at that point to get some reps and then call him up? From what I heard Trammell is working him at 3B and Quade has him taking fly balls and it was going to take some time, then last night he's out at third (guess Lou hurried him out - or mistook him for another left handed pinch hitter). BB's got a point - other teams see problems at a position, and look to their prospects to take a few turns at it in the minors. I won't say what franchise is going through that right now, but we're all familiar with them.

Submitted by The Real Neal on Fri, 05/29/2009 - 05:06 am

That's the first I have seen him pitch, and he's really impressive. He doesn't have a dominant out-pitch, but he also doesn't seem to hang anything, and everything has movement. A little better command and he could be a helluva pitcher.

Submitted by Ryno on Fri, 05/29/2009 - 05:07 am

Geez... did you hear Offerman ask The Cub's version of Hugo Chavez Zambrano about Barrett? He got sort of... animated. "How can you bring Michael Barrett into this conversation? Man, I'm a man, you know. If somebody comes to me and tries to beat me up, I have to respond, you know? Nobody likes to get beat up, you know? I don't say this to the umpire," he said. "If some man here or some man outside is trying to get me up or trying to fire me up, I will respond. And anybody here, any man here will respond," he said. "Am I right? Nobody likes to be hit. Nobody likes to be fired up. Nobody. As a man you don't like to be pushed up or you don't like to be, you don't like somebody to kick your butt. You will respond as a man. So don't bring Michael Barrett in this conversation. We're talking about the incident yesterday, not Michael Barrett." Source: Orlando Sentinel, WSCR 670

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Submitted by The Real Neal on Sun, 05/31/2009 - 05:27 am

I never said that the Cubs were a better organization. You should look up what the word 'arbitrarily' means, because you obviously don't know. Since Hendry is the head of the organization (or I guess you could say Kenney, which would mean that the Cubs win% far outpaces the Dodgers), looking at things since he took over is logical, not arbitrary. However, I know, logic rarely impedes your thought process. My point is that it's stupid to react to one game, and make a sweeping statement like this.

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Submitted by WISCGRAD on Sun, 05/31/2009 - 05:35 am

Seriously? If it is "logical" to examine the franchises since Hendry took over since he is the "head of the organization" then it is just as logical to examine them since Colletti took over since he is the head of the Dodger's organization. How is this so difficult for you? But of course when I suggested that, you made some weird argument about why that couldn't possibly be a good comparison. I mean, why would you follow your own logic? That would be, well, logical... Navigator listed some of the historical accomplishments of the Dodger's organization. It is just as logical to compare the Cubs vs. Dodgers historically. He's making a different point than the one you want to make it seems. It is odd that you somehow felt you were correcting him by arbitrarily deciding on a new cut-off. And yes, I am using the word arbitrary here. I think you need to look up the word yourself. It doesn't mean without logic. For the person making the decision it is perfectly logical. Arbitrary means "depending on individual preference or discretion." You, individually, made 2003 the cut-off point based on your discretion that it would be a better comparison. If you are trying to demonstrate how the Dodgers are better historically (i.e. last 50-100 years) like Navigator was, then 2003 would make no sense. Not everything is an argument on here. If you honestly look at history and disagree with Navigator's assessment that the Dodger's franchise has been better than the Cubs, then you are arguing just for the sake of arguing.

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Submitted by The Real Neal on Tue, 06/02/2009 - 06:01 am

You're really amazing. This is what you've done. Taken a word you don't understand the meaning of, and thrown it around to try to prove a point. The way you're defining arbitrary is "depending on individual preference of discretion", therefore it can be applied to any single thing that any single person says. You realize, how fucking stupid that is, right? But if you asked 100 people how to determine how the Cubs organization has done under the Hendry, 85 of them would probably start by saying 'What's their winning percentage under Hendry?" Therefore my method was not arbitrary. Dumb fuck. Then there's the whole problem with you and navigator trying to change the word originally used 'is' into 'has been' - also a dumb fucking thing to do. The Cubs have the single season record for highest winning %, therefore they are the best franchise ever, right?

Submitted by Indiana JJ on Fri, 05/29/2009 - 05:25 am

This is kind of off-topic, but Dan Plesac is absofuckinglutely horrible as a color guy. I don't get WCIU but I do get MLBN and was kind of happy to get to hear Costas do baseball again, but Plesac completely ruined it for me. Just incessant rambling. So much that Costas could barely squeeze in his play-by-play stuff most of the time. I thought he did alright in the studio on CSC, but keep him out of the booth.

Submitted by Cubnut on Fri, 05/29/2009 - 05:16 pm

From Friday's Crain's...

Sources now tell Crain’s that both sides have made concessions on some of the key sticking points, bringing them near the conclusion of a sale process that’s dragged on for Tribune more than two years. The family, led by Mr. Ricketts, has been in exclusive talks with TribCo on the Cubs sale since January. Tribune CEO Sam Zell, in an interview with Bloomberg TV Thursday, appeared to raise new questions about the Ricketts’ ability to buy the team. He blamed the difficult credit environment for delaying the Cubs sale, adding that “if the Ricketts deal doesn’t get done, I am sure there’ll be another one.” But the financing appears to be in place.

Submitted by Ahone Ahtwo Ahthree on Fri, 05/29/2009 - 05:34 pm

We need to keep it together until we get our guys back healthy... the fact that we are using Scales, Blanco and Fox as starters just goes to show how thin we are getting... Soriano consistently pisses me off - when the team as a whole is hot, he looks great and can carry you singlehandedly. When we struggle, he doesn't seem able to rise up and carry the load. He reminds me of a couple of my softball friends who go 4 for 4 when you smoke a team by 20 runs, but can't muster a hit when it counts in a close game. We call those guys "Mr. Pressure"... If you are hitting for shit, like Soriano has been, then be a team player and do your best to get a bunt down with 2 on and nobody out. Who knows, maybe you even beat it out!!

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Submitted by MikeC on Fri, 05/29/2009 - 05:56 pm

Maybe because when the team was hot he was one of the people responsible for the team being hot? Nahhhh can't be. Are we having Sammy Sosa Syndrome kick in? Soriano never gets any meaningful hits. Can only hit in blowouts, never when the game is on the line. I can count 5ish games in April alone this year where Soriano destroys that myth. But hey keep towing that anchor. Soriano is the least of this teams worries. Bradley sucks, Lee looks to be waking up out of his suck, Ramirez is hurt, Font sucks. Those are the problems with why the Cubs arent scoring runs, not Soriano.

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Submitted by Ahone Ahtwo Ahthree on Fri, 05/29/2009 - 05:25 pm

All I know is great players play great all of the time, even when your team is struggling. We are 2-8 in our last 10 games, and during that stretch, Soriano is a putrid 5/36 with 13K and 13 LOB, and he has scored only 1 run and driven in ZERO. Sprinkle in his defensive mental lapses at critical times and he is not a great player, IMO. His lack of fundamentals can be covered up nicely when the team is playing well, but those mental lapses become unacceptable when you are struggling. Sammy was a bit different - he was paid to drive in runs from the 3 hole in the lineup, and he did that. He had his struggles, but I can live with a guy who is paid to drive in runs and doesn't come through every time. Soriano is batting leadoff, so there are different expectations of him. He sets the tone, and he hasn't been doing it, plain and simple. It is really hard to score runs as as offense if your leadoff hitter is hardly on base!

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Submitted by MikeC on Fri, 05/29/2009 - 05:26 pm

Wow, talk about sample size. We get where your coming from, Soriano can never ever slump. Go crawl back under your rock because the game of baseball confuses you.

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Submitted by Ahone Ahtwo Ahthree on Thu, 06/04/2009 - 06:56 pm

No - he can slump, and he will slump. It is my opinion that you can try and help the team when you are slumping by doing the fundamentally sound things, like hitting behind the runner and bunting, if need be. Just the other day, I was at the Cubs/Dodgers Sunday night game, and Soriano ripped one down the line. Rather than busting it out of the box and showing some heart, he jogged from the batter's box to second base. What kind of example does that set when your "star" is hotdogging all of the time? Remember last season when Soriano crushed one against the Brewers and thought it was out, so he jogged around first? Braun picked it up and almost gunned him out at second. To me, that is pathetic... I understand baseball just fine, but I love to be insulted, so you can kiss my ass... - For the record, Rob, you sure have a ton of overly opinionated, egotistical jackasses that post here regularly at TCR. I'm sure people just visiting the blog look at this stuff and never come back... I guess insulting people is just some people's way of making up for some other inadequacy in their life... pretty sad. I love the info here and sharing stuff with other Cubs fans, but I sure don't like being talked to like a piece of crap.

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Submitted by mannytrillo on Fri, 05/29/2009 - 05:37 pm

The problem with Soriano is he is way too streaky. Most of the time he is with red hot or ice cold. When he is on, nobody can get him out, but when he is off he can't get a hit to save his life. And being streaky is not a good trait IMO. Look at the last two years of playoffs for examples. We need consistency, not some one who could have 3 great months and suck it up the other 3 months.

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Submitted by The Real Neal on Sat, 05/30/2009 - 05:11 am

The problem with him this year is that his hot streaks seem to coincide with coming up with the bases empty (.287 .333 .519) and his cold streak with runners in scoring position (.167 .295 .361). The much maligned Bradley is doing pretty well with RISP (. 269 .441 .577).

Recent comments

  • 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!

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    That’s just kinda how it works though, for every team. No team plays their best guys all the time. No team is comprising of their best 26 even removing injuries.

    When baseball became a business, like REALLY a business, it became important to keep some of the vets happy, which in turn keeps agents happy and keeps the team with a good reputation among players and agents. No one wants to play for a team that has a bad reputation in the same way no one wants to work for a company that has a bad rep.

    Don’t get me wrong, I hate it too. But there’s nothing anyone can do about it.

    On that topic, I find it silly the Cubs brought up Canario to sit as much as he has. He’s going to get Velazquez’d, and it’s a shame.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Of course, McKinstry runs circles around $25 million man Javier Baez on that Tigers team. Guess who gets more playing time?

    But I digress…

  • Sonicwind75 (view)

    Seems like Jed was trying to corner the market on mediocre infielders with last names starting with "M" in acquiring Madrigal, Mastroboney and Zach McKinstry.  

     

    At least he hasn't given any of them a Bote-esque extension.  

  • Childersb3 (view)

    AZ Phil:
    Rookie ball (ACL) starts on May 4th. Do yo think Ramon and Rosario (maybe Delgado) stay in Mesa for the month of May, then go to MB if all goes "solid"?
     

  • crunch (view)

    masterboney is a luxury on a team that has multiple, capable options for 2nd, SS, and 3rd without him around.  i don't hate the guy, but if madrigal is sticking around then masterboney is expendable.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    I THINK I agree with that decision. They committed to Wicks as a starter and, while he hasn’t been stellar I don’t think he’s been bad enough to undo that commitment.

    That said, Wesneski’s performance last night dictates he be the next righty up.

    Quite the dilemma. They have many good options, particularly in relief, but not many great ones. And complicating the situation is that the pitchers being paid the most are by and large performing the worst - or in Taillon’s case, at least to this point, not at all.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Wesneski and Mastrobuoni to Iowa

    Taillon and Wisdom up

    Wesneski can't pitch for a couple of days after the 4 IP from last night. But Jed picked Wicks over Wesneski.

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