Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
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, ten players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors, two players are on the 15-DAY IL, and two players are on the 10-DAY IL

Last updated 4-17-2024
 
* 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
Keegan Thompson
Hayden Wesneski 
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

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

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

OPTIONED: 10 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Jose Cuas, P 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Luke Little, P 
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 

10-DAY IL: 2 
Seiya Suzuki, OF
Patrick Wisdom, INF 

15-DAY IL: 2
* Justin Steele, P  
Jameson Taillon, P 

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





Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Giants Throw One-Hitter at Cubs En Route to DH Sweep at Indian School Park

John Polonius (two RBI doubles) and Shilo McCall (a three-run HR and an RBI FC) knocked-in four runs a piece, leading the Giants to an 11-2 victory over the Cubs on Field #1, and Steven Neff and three relievers combined to toss a one-hit shutout, as the Giants blanked the Cubs 2-0 on Field #2, in Cactus League Extended Spring Training doubleheader action this morning at Indian School Park in Scottsdale, AZ.

RHP Guillermo Moscoso got the start for the Cubs on Field #2, and threw four innings of shutout ball with five strikeouts. He allowed four hits (all singles) and did not issue any walks. He was a strike-throwing machine today (46 pitches - 38 strikes). I would think he will likely be in the Iowa starting rotation by the end of the month.  

Kevin Encarnacion singled, doubled, and walked, and scored a run for the Cubs squad on Field #1. 

In EXST roster news, RHP David Cales has been promoted to Daytona, and LHP Matt Iannazzo has been moved up to Kane County.  

Here are the 2013 EXST stats for Cales and Iannazzo:  

DAVID CALES: 5.40 ERA & 1.40 WHIP - 5.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R (3 ER), 0 BB, 8 K (5 G)
MATT IANNAZZO: 0.00 ERA & 0.33 WHIP - 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K (2 G)

Cales spent the 2012 season rehabbing from 2011 shoulder surgery, and the 5'8 side-armin' Iannazzo was signed as a Non-Drafted Free-Agent (NDFA) out of U. of Pittsburgh last June.  

Here are the box scores from today's games (Cubs players only):

INDIAN SCHOOL PARK FIELD #1

CUBS SQUAD "B" LINEUP:
1. Rashad Crawford, RF: 0-3 (L-4, F-8, K)
2. Kevin Encarnacion, CF: 2-2 (1B, 2B, BB, R) 
3. Jesse Hodges, DH #1: 2-3 (1B, 5-3, 1B, R)
4. Jose Dore, 3B: 2-3 (1B, 2B, K)
5. Garrett Schlecht, DH #2: 0-3 (K, F-7, K)
6. Francisco Sanchez, 2B: 0-2 (HBP, 1-3, K, RBI)
7. Alberto Mineo, 1B: 1-3 (1B, L-8, P-6, RBI)
8a. Roberto Caro, LF: 0-2 (4-3, F-8)
8b. Trevor Gretzky, LF: 0-0 (BB)
9. Frandy de la Rosa, SS: 0-3 (5-3, 1-3, 3-U)
10. Wilfredo Petit, C: 0-2 (K, 4-3)

CUBS SQUAD "B" PITCHERS:
1. Trey Lang: 2.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R (1 ER), 3 BB, 0 K, 1 PO, 46 pitches (26 strikes), 6/1 GO/FO 
2. Corbin Hoffner: 1.1 IP, 5 H, 9 R, (4 ER), 1 BB, 2 K, 1 HBP, 1 HR, 1 WP, 44 pitches (27 strikes), 2/0 GO/FO
3. Daniel Adrian: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 3 K, 40 pitches (25 strikes), 2/1 GO/FO

CUBS SQUAD "B" ERRORS: (2) 
1. 3B Jose Dore - E-5 (fielding error allowed batter to reach base safely - eventually scored unearned run)
2. 3B Jose Dore - E-5 (fielding error allowed batter to reach base safely - eventually scored unearned run)

CUBS SQUAD "B" CATCHERS DEFENSE:
Wilfredo Petit: 0-2 CS, 1 PB

INDIAN SCHOOL PARK FIELD #2

CUBS SQUAD "A" LINEUP:
1. Reggie Golden, CF: 0-2 (E-3, BB, P-3, PO)
2. Danny Lockhart, 2B: 0-3 (K, 6-4 FC, K)
3. Yasiel Balaguert, LF: 0-3 (K, 3-1, P-6)
4. Jacob Rogers, 1B: 0-3 (F-8, K, F-7)
5. Xavier Batista, RF: 0-3 (P-2, K, K)
6. Dong-Yub Kim, DH: 0-2 (BB, 5-3, 6-3)
7. Neftali Rosario, C: 0-2 (6-4 FC, F-8)
8a. Carlos Penalver, SS: 0-1 (1-3)
8b. Brad Zapenas, PH-SS: 1-1 (1B)
9. Mark Malave, 3B: 0-2 (K, 4-3)

CUBS SQUAD "A" PITCHERS:
1. Guillermo Moscoso: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K, 1 PO, 46 pitches (38 strikes), 5/1 GO/FO 
2. Mike Hamann: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 2 K, 1 WP, 42 pitches (30 strikes), 4/1 GO/GO

CUBS SQUAD "A" ERRORS: NONE

CUBS SQUAD "A" CATCHERS DEFENSE:
Neftali Rosario: 0-1 CS

ATTENDANCE: 7

WEATHER: Sunny with temperatures in the 80's

 

Comments

[ ]

In reply to by The Joe

yow. his glove and using his speed to turn his weak contact into hits is a huge chunk of his game...well, he's got a decent eye for balls/strikes, too. still, his speed makes up a good chunk of his hitting game. tim beckham must be doing backflips of happiness right now.

billybucks had a post in another thread that expressed extreme disgust with the TheoCorp era already, and it got me thinking - WHAT IF TheoCorp ends up a failure? I think the implications are pretty staggering. The Cubs last winning season was 2009. If the Epstein era results in no winning season, that would put us I guess to 2016, which means a kid who started watching baseball in Chicago at 7 years old will be 14 when Theo leaves, assuming the entire contract is fulfilled. An 8 year old will be 15, and so on. This means that the team will lose a big chunk of potential followers, because kids are influenced in who they watch by winning teams, pretty much. The Cubs have been something of an exception to this in the past but we live in a more transient society than we did when the Cubs popularity was boosted by Harry Caray and the whole WGN superstation thing, whose impact now is pretty much minimal. As much as I like Len, he's no Harry Caray in terms of adding mystique and character to the broadcasts. If the White Sox consistently field contenders, the Cubs could be in serious trouble. The Ricketts purchased the Cubs in a very heavily leveraged way. It's not as bad as the Tribune ownership under Zell, but it's a serious situation if they lose their fan base. Overall, I'm not overwhelmed by the new "Cubs Way". But it doesn't matter, really. Ricketts has a helluva lot more riding on this than I do. Basically, he's staked his family's entire investment in Theo. No pressure, or anything Theo, but, umm, not a good start to the year.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

What happens? The same thing that has happened for the past 100+. My father and grandfather, but Cub fans, have never seen the Cubs win a championship. My grandfather is now retired in Texas, still watching the Cubs lose year in and year out. I think the better bet is actually that nothing does change. I do appreciate what the Cubs are trying to do, but hope has left me with VD and a sawbuck on the nightstand. The Cubs may lose fans, but that track record is pretty good. Anyway, ticket sales sure haven't helped the actual product on the field. Personally, I'm counting on apes-typing-out-shakespeare. I'm 33 and figured it just has to happen at some point before I die. Of course you older guys and my grandfather may have thought the same thing at my age. Hope and change my ass, Obama! To all the sexy ladies, I don't actually have VD. No seriously. Really.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

I agree about the risk to the fan base -- lots of empty seats last August and September, and I assume that will be the case this year as well. I think those who grew up or followed the team in the Kerry Wood era came to expect playoffs or near-playoffs on a somewhat regular basis: 1998, then 2003, 2004 (oh so close), 2007, 2008. People have (or had) expectations that a big market team that drew 3 million fans per year (without a JumboTron) should be competitive, or at least should not be awful for long stretches of time. There is more and more coverage of the negative aspects of Wrigley, which are much more noticeable when the team stinks. My 16-year old son, who lives and dies wth the team, lost interest last year in the late summer. The Theo experiment is a huge gamble -- as I said in my other post, he has never done this before. Few people have. I'm sure he's a smart guy, but he's taking a high-risk approach -- putting the entire future on very young players and foreign players, who may have a lot of upside but are years away from the majors. We have seen many heralded young players not pan out -- Felix Pie was going to be "the Michael Jordan of baseball." The Lovable Losers tag won't work any more -- not with these ticket prices. I hope Theo's plan works, but it feels like this season could get very ugly very quickly (see "Bullpen issues") -- back-to-back 100 loss seasons will disgust a lot of folks, no matter how well the kids do in "A" ball.

[ ]

In reply to by billybucks

i remember getting walk-up tickets for 4 people in 1998 (June 1st - Monday, day game vs FLA) before "baseball fever" and the HR chase gripped the team. they were really good seats behind 3rd base (field box level). 25,500K attendance according to the box score. sosa hit HR #14 and #15 that day. mark grace had 2 hits and a walk...o'henry hit a HR. the cubs chased r.dempster out of the game after 1.1ip (i forgot he was the starter that day, lulz). those days were gone about a month or two later for quite a many years.

Several Cubs minor leaguers released duiring Minor League Camp have surfaced elsewhere:

SIGNED WITH MLB ORGANIZATION:
Jason Berken, RHP (CHW - AAA)
Michael Brenly, C (AZ - EXST)
Jay Jackson, RHP (MIA - EXST)
Arturo Maltos-Garcia, RHP (SF - EXST) 

SIGNED WITH INDEPENDENT LEAGUE TEAM:
Eliecer Bonne, OF (Normal - Frontier League)
Evan Crawford, OF (River City - Frontier League)
Ryan Hartman, RHP (Gateway - Frontier League)
Hayden Simpson, RHP (Southern Illinois - Frontier League)
Matt Spencer, 1B (Bridgeport - Atlantic League)
Scott Weismann, RHP (Evansville - Frontier League)
Dontrelle Willis, LHP (Long Island - Atlantic League)
Joe Zeller, RHP (Frontier Greys - Frontier League)

 

Recent comments

  • Childersb3 (view)

    I wanted Almonte gone last week, but that was before Merryweather went down and Little got demoted. Almonte in his last 5 appearances has gone 4.1 IP with no ER or Runs. NO hits, 3 BBs and 8 SO. He did hit 96 with his 2S FB in AZ on Tues.
    I don't see Jed waiving him when we have injuries all over and guys with options that can be sent down.
    I probably won't like the move Jed makes, but he can't play the "let's hope no one wants his 1.7mil remaining deal and we can hide him in Iowa" card.
    That's why I think the current Bullpen stays as is and Wicks goes to Iowa.
    I don't like that, but that's the fix I see.
    We'll find out soon enough!!!

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Teheran minor league deal is done, per MLB.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Based on Phil’s sound analysis it sounds like a no brainer for Almonte to be placed on waivers as today’s roster move. We shall see.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    I suspect Counsell/Hottovy will use the piggy-back extensively, with Taillon and Hendricks pitching as the "pig" (and with a very short leash) and some combo of Wicks, Brown, and Wesneski (whichever two do not start) as the "backers."  

    Keep in mind that Keegan Thompson has a minor league option available, and if Yency Almonte is not outrighted by 4/26 he cannot be sent to the minors without his consent after that date. Almonte is out of minor league options, so I am talking about him getting outrighted to the minors if he is not claimed off waivers, and if he is claimed off waivers, the Cubs save the pro-rated portion of his $1.9M salary, which helps lower the Cubs 2024 AAV.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Totally agree. The 26 man roster very rarely consists of the 13 best position players and 13 best pitchers.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Based on what Jed has done in the past, I’d say the plan is to

    -give Hendricks another few starts
    -give Taillon some runway ot get his season underway

    -Mix and match in the bullpen and see what sticks

    Jed usually doesn’t do a whole lot of waiver wire plays in-season, at least early in the season. He only reallly did that after he blew up the rosters in 21 and 22 because they needed bodies (guys like Schwindel, Fargas, etc).

    I think he’s a little handcuffed by a full 40 man in that he can’t really maneuver much with giving anyone showing ability at AAA (R Thompson/ Sanders/ Edwards etc). Brewer has the most tenuous grip there, and we will see what kind of chance he gets. Other than his spot, there isn’t a ton of 40 man wiggle room.

    I’m very curious to see what happens with Brown now that Taillon returns. Bullpen? Wicks to Iowa? 

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Pro teams have to play their "big money" guys if they are healthy and not "locker room" issues.
    The Cubs wanted to deal JHey off well before they bought him out. They just didn't want to pay him to play for someone else for that long. Jed did give him 20+mil to play for LAD last yr.
    Jed might also let Kyle walk at some point this year. Similar scenario to JHey, except Jed thought Kyle was going to be good/solid in '24!!
    You'd think Smyly is in the same book as well. Same with Neris (he's a 1yr vet RP, so he's not really in this convo too much).
    That's ~35mil between those three and those three are going to get opportunities until at least late June) over younger guys even if their performance is "iffy".
    But, Jed is going to play Taillon a lot. They have to try and justify that contract and hope a veteran works out.
    So, Taillon, Imanaga, and Hendricks are locks for the rest of April and probably May.
    Assad, Brown and Wicks handle the last spots until Steele is ready.
    Now, you're question has real merit when Steele comes back. That will interesting if Brown is still good and Hendricks is still bad. But Taillon is entirely safe as long as he's healthy.

    And the bullpen moves were "money" based as well. Smyly has actually been okay. But he hasn't been clearly better than Little. Little had one bad outing. But Smyly makes 9mil. If they needed another RHRP and one of Little and Smyly had to go, it was going to Little. But that doesn't mean Smyly is one of the best 13 arms for the team. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Childersb3: I think there was an issue with Luke Little coming into a game with men on base. He seems to need a "clean" inning to be dominant. So he is a future closer and needs to be used in that role at AAA. Same goes for Michael Arias. He needs to come into a "clean" inning, and is a future closer and needs to be used in that role at AA. Porter Hodge is a more versatile pitcher, a better version of Keegan Thompson (multi-inning RP). But Little, Arias, and Hodge (probably in that order) are the Cubs top three RP prospects (all three are Cubs Top 15 prospects).

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    So, let’s do a little war gaming. Taillon is back for tonight’s game. He pitched two rehab games, just a few innings each, and not especially sharp. Let’s face it, he hasn’t been lights out since the Cubs gave him the big contract. In other words, as flat out bad as Hendricks has been, the chances of Taillon being the savior don’t look exactly promising.

    If Taillon is equally ineffective or perhaps even worse, what’s the next move? Winning teams can often find a way to work around a dud fifth starter - kinda. Two dud starters make things much more difficult.

    I believe the biggest reason for the recent bullpen moves was dissatisfaction with the recent blowing of big leads and the recognition that the bullpen wasn’t all it was thought to be. In other words, they are exploring alternate options and configurations. If similar juggling becomes necessary (even more so than it already is), what kind of reasonable maneuvering do we think could be explored?

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Cubdom needs to prepare themselves for Wicks to be sent to Iowa for Taillon to come up.
    Ben Brown has 4 appearances. Wicks has 4 appearances.
    Ben has 16.1 IP.  Wicks has 17 IP
    Ben was a 1.1 WHIP.  Wicks has a 1.7 WHIP. Wicks does have significantly more SOs. 
    Ben has been better, though.
    I love Wicks. I think he's a fighter and his stuff has improved.
    But, Jed isn't ditching Hendricks just yet. He should. But he won't.
    Hendricks should go to the IL and Taillon-Imanaga-Assad-Wicks-Brown should be the rotation.
    Wont' happen though.