Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full) 

28 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, and twelve players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors. 

Last updated 3-26-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 15
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Caleb Kilian
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
Jameson Taillon
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

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

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

OPTIONED: 12 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Ben Brown, P 
Alexander Canario, OF 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Keegan Thompson, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 
Hayden Wesneski, P 

 



 

Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Sandberg Auditions in New Orleans

Iowa Cubs skipper Ryne Sandberg got tossed from the game for arguing a called third strike in the top of the 9th inning of his team's 2-1 loss in New Orleans last night.

Right now the top two layers of the Cub organization could be peeled and tossed like a rotting onion. Maybe Castro and his band of Smokies should all come north together. Things are at a low ebb.

 

Comments

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

Well of course sping training should be used to gauge anyone's ability. Not performance in the minors, or scouting done, or by any past performance. Come on Neal. Again, the light seems to have come on for Cashner in AA this season, but it's not like he's been lights out in previous seasons, and scouts have questioned his ability to develop secondary pitches, and that he may be better as a short reliever.

[ ]

In reply to by Dusty Baylor

Let's take a look at the evidence. He's a starter. He's doing very well as a starter. The Cubs have said repeatedly that they want him to be a starter, and increased his pitch limit this year. Now let's look at your conclusion. He's pitching really well- move him to the bullpen. I don't understand the logic you are applying. He had a chance to make the bullpen out of spring training - he blew it. You say that ST means nothing, but it seems to mean a lot to Tyler Colvin. Now he's pitching like a top 10 starter prospect in all of baseball and you want to move him to the bullpen- why? The light came on for Samardijza as a starter when he first got called up - how's that working out?

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

You're right. Johan Santana and Francisco Liriano were ruined by starting in the bullpen. What was I thinking. This is not suggesting that the Cubs bring up Castro..and make him the first baaseman. Cashner has pitched in the bullpen. He's had a good season, all 6 starts. Great. Hopefully, this is the corner being turned. I just don't see how bringing him up to pitch in the bullpen "smacks of desperation."

[ ]

In reply to by Q-Ball

"The Cubs are missing a lot more pieces than better fielding at SS." How about better hitting in the 2 hole? Castro leads the Southern League in hits. Maybe you like the way the Cubs shape up at the top of the order, but I don't like Theriot or Fukudome up there. They're just not my idea of table setters, or guys you want to see hitting with men in scoring position. The two winning teams in the org, Peoria and Tennessee, have a lot going on at the top of the order. (They also have good pitching, but so do the Cubs.) Campana and Castro have been phenomenal. Call it scrappy, call it whatever you want. Fukudome doesn't have it. Theriot has it some, but not enough.

domino effect rippling through the organization - how far & wide? can't be much left to burn on the zombie fuse as the starters' era's start climbing...$15 million 3B-man hitting sub .150 & now adding multi-error games to his rep so let's demote his sub...this pittsburgh debacle was a real humbler; if the cubs were a drunk or a stock market index, it would be looked back upon as a bottom [i hope]...

Location- Denny's in Northern KY When- Friday a.m. Lou and Fontenot in booth eating grand slams Castro is closing in on Cincinnati ~cut to scene~ Lou-I thought it would uh.uh.uh be you Fonty-I'm smart, I have talent, I'm no Cedeno! Lou-It was you Fontenot. You broke my heart!! ~Lou picks up Fontenot by his head and kisses him on the cheek~ The kiss of death for Fontenot. ~end scene~

Let's all gather round the TV sets to watch another rush job to the major leagues flame out. Z in the bullpen, and Castro in the majors at age 20.....what a dumb ass franchise this is.

David Kaplan is reporting via Twitter that they're going to start Castro tonight. I disagree with this--the kid's never played above AA! Why would you have him start on his first night with a big-league team? I say let him get adjusted for a day or two and then start him maybe Sunday. Give him a PH at-bat tonight or tomorrow night to see MLB pitching for the first time.

By the way, in a "holy shit I'm old" moment for your old pal Wes, I just discovered this roster move means there's a Cub on the 25-man born in 1990.

Baseballprospectus has a blurb up on the call-up and it's pretty rosy. http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=10809
Certainly not .376, but he should hold his own, as in yesterday's Scouting Notebook, a scout believed he could be a future 70 hitter, which is nearly batting title territory. Beyond the ability to hammer line drives all over the field, Castro has a good, not great approach, but he's not overly aggressive like Corey Patterson was, and it shouldn't be a problem in the big leagues.

what is castro supposed to help, anyway? setting up dlee/aram to uh...nevermind. maybe if they bat him 5th soriano could hit him in until his bat goes dormant. at castro's best he's a singles/doubles slap hitter who isn't going to draw walks. for as much stuff as castro gets to with his glove you can't exactly count on him to seal the deal. ...still waiting on that RH reliever

There is a decent chance we will face a rain delay tonight in Cincy. Storms are a brewin'. It would be nice to have craZy throw long relief And maybe even hit. Swept by the butt-pirates...wow. If I see him, I will tase Marty for all Cub fans.

Recent comments

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    18-year old SS Jefferson Rojas almost made the AA Tennessee Opening Day roster, and he is a legit shortstop, so I would expect him to be an MLB Top 100 prospect by mid-season. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Among the relievers in the system, I expect RHRP Hunter Bigge at AAA Iowa and RHRP Ty Johnson at South Bend to have breakout seasons on 2024, and among the starters I see LHP Drew Gray and RHP Will Sanders at South Bend and RHP Naz Mule at ACL Cubs as the guys who will make the biggest splash. Also, Jaxon Wiggins is throwing bullpen sides, so once he is ready for game action he could be making an impact at Myrtle Beach by June.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    I expect OF Christian Franklin to have a breakout season at AA Tennessee in 2024. In another organization that doesn't have PCA, Caissie, K. Alcantara, and Canario in their system, C. Franklin would be a Top 10 prospect. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    The Reds trading Joe Boyle for Sam Moll at last year's MLB Trade Deadline was like the Phillies trading Ben Brown to the Cubs for David Robertson at the MLB TD in 2022. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Javier Assad started the Lo-A game (Myrtle Beach versus Stockton) on the Cubs backfields on Wednesday as his final Spring Training tune-up. He was supposed to throw five innings / 75 pitches. However, I was at the minor league road games at Fitch so I didn't see Assad pitch. 

  • crunch (view)

    cards put j.young on waivers.

    they really tried to make it happen this spring, but he put up a crazy bad slash of .081/.244/.108 in 45PA.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Seconded!!!

  • crunch (view)

    another awesome spring of pitching reports.  thanks a lot, appreciated.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Here are the Cubs pitchers reports from Tuesday afternoon's Cardinals - Cubs game art Sloan Park in Mesa:

    SHOTA IMANAGA
    FB: 90-92 
    CUT: 87-89 
    SL: 82-83 
    SPLIT: 81-84
    CV: 73-74 
    COMMENT: Worked three innings plus two batters in the fourth... allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits (six singles and two doubles) walked one, and struck out six (four swinging), with a 1/2 GO/AO... he threw 73 pitches (52 strikes - 10 swing & miss - 19 foul balls)... surrendered one run in the top of the 1st on a one-out double off Cody Bellinger's glove in deep straight-away CF followed one out later by two consecutive two-out bloop singles, allowed two runs (one earned) in the 2nd after retiring the first two hitters (first batter had a nine-pitch AB with four consecutive two-strike foul balls before being retired 3 -U) on a two-out infield single (weak throw on the run by Nico Hoerner), a hard-contact line drive RBI double down the RF line, and an E-1 (missed catch) by Imanaga on what should been an inning-ending 3-1 GO, gave up another run in the 3rd on a two-out walk on a 3-2 pitch and an RBI double to LF, and two consecutive singles leading off the top of the 4th before being relieved (runners were ultimately left stranded)... threw 18 pitches in the 1st inning (14 strikes - two swing & miss, one on FB and the other on a SL - four foul balls), 24 pitches in the 2nd inning (17 strikes - three swing & miss, one on FB, two SPLIT - six foul balls), 19 pitches in the 3rd inning (13 strikes - seven swing & miss, three on SL, two on SPLIT, one on FB - three foul balls), and 12 pitches without retiring a batter in the top of the 4th (8 strikes - no swing & miss - four foul balls)... Imanaga throws a lot of pitches per inning, but it's not because he doesn't throw strikes...  if anything, he throws too many strikes (he threw 70% strikes on Tuesday)... while he gets a ton of swing & miss (and strikeouts), he also induces a lot of foul balls because he doesn't try to make hitters chase his pitches by throwing them out of the strike zone... rather, he uses his very diverse pitch mix to get swing & miss (and lots of foul balls as well)... he also is a fly ball pitcher who will give up more than his share of HR during the course of the season...   
     
    JOE NAHAS
    FB: 90-92 
    SL: 83-85 
    CV: 80-81 
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day... relieved Imanaga with runners at first and second and no outs in the top of the 4th, and after an E-2 catcher's interference committed by Miguel Amaya loaded he bases, Nahas struck out the side (one swinging & two looking)... threw 16 pitches (11 strikes - two swinging)...   

    YENCY ALMONTE
    FB: 89-92 
    CH: 86 
    SL: 79 
    COMMENT: Threw an eight-pitch 5th (five strikes - no swing & miss), with a 5-3 GO for the first out and an inning-ending 4-6-3 DP after a one-out single... command was a bit off but he worked through it...   

    FRANKIE SCALZO JR
    FB: 94-95
    CH: 88 
    SL: 83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 6th inning... got the first outs easily (a P-5 and a 4-3 GO) on just three pitches, before allowing three consecutive two-out hard-contact hits (a double and two singles), with the third hit on pitch # 9 resulting in a runner being thrown out at the plate by RF Christian Franklin for the third out of the inning... 

    MICHAEL ARIAS
    FB: 94-96
    CH: 87-89
    SL: 82-83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and allowed a hard-contact double on the third pitch of the 7th inning (a 96 MPH FB), and the runner came around to score on a 4-3 GO and a WP... gave up two other loud contact outs (an L-7 and an F-9)... threw 18 pitches (only 10 strikes - only one swing & miss)... stuff is electric but still very raw and he continues to have difficulty commanding it, and while he has the repertoire of a SP, he throws too many pitches-per-inning to be a SP and not enough strikes to be a closer... he is most definitely still a work-in-progress...   

    ZAC LEIGH: 
    FB: 93-94 
    CH: 89 
    SL: 81-83 
    CV: 78
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and tossed a 1-2-3 8th (4-3 GO, K-swinging on a sweeper, K-looking on another sweeper)... threw 14 pitches (11 strikes - one swing & miss - eight foul balls)... kept pumping pitches into the strike zone but had difficulty putting hitters away (ergo a ton of foul balls)... FB velo is nowhere near the 96-98 MPH it was a couple of years ago when he was a Top 30 prospect, but his secondaries are better...   

    JOSE ROMERO:  
    FB: 93-95
    SL: 82-84
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 9th (14 pitches - only six strikes- no swing & miss) and allowed a solo HR after two near-HR fly outs to the warning track, before getting a 3-1 GO to end the inning... it was like batting practice when he wasn't throwing pitches out of the strike zone...

  • crunch (view)

    pablo sandoval played 3rd and got a couple ABs (strikeout, single!) in the OAK@SF "exhibition"

    mlb officially authenticated the ball of the single he hit.  nice.

    he's in surprisingly good shape considering his poor body condition in his last playing seasons.  he's not lean, but he looks healthier.  good for him.