Cubs MLB Roster

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40-Man Roster Info

37 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (three slots are open)

Last updated 11-17-2023
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 20
Adbert Alzolay 
Michael Arias
Javier Assad
Ben Brown
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
Porter Hodge
* Bailey Horn
Caleb Kilian
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Daniel Palencia
Michael Rucker
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
Jameson Taillon
Keegan Thompson
Hayden Wesneski 
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

INFIELDERS: 8
Nico Hoerner
Nick Madrigal
* Miles Mastrobuoni
* Matt Mervis
Christopher Morel
Dansby Swanson
Luis Vazquez
Patrick Wisdom

OUTFIELDERS: 7
Kevin Alcantara
Alexander Canario
* Pete Crow-Armstrong
Brennen Davis
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman

 


Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
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Cubs vs Pirates: Series Thread (Games 72-74)

Submitted by Charlie on

The Cubs ended a five game win streak that despite a valiant effort in the final game of the series against the Orioles. They'll greet the Pirates for a return visit to Wrigley, only a weekend removed from sweeping them out of first place in the NL Central. The Cubs (33-38) enter the series in 4th place and four games behind the now leading Brewers. The Pirates (34-36) may enter with revenge on their mind, if they are not preoccupied by letting their surprising hold on the NL Central slip away. The Buccos bring along former Cub and well-travelled MLB veteran Rich Hill. See below for matchups.


Game 72, Monday, June 19, 6:05 pm central
CHC: LHP Drew Smyly (6-4, 3.59 ERA)
PIT: RHP Osvaldo Bido (0-0, 2.25 ERA)


Game 73, Tuesday, June 20, 6:05 pm central
CHC: RHP Marcus Stroman (8-4, 2.45 ERA)
PIT: RHP Johan Oviedo (3-6, 4.40 ERA)


Game 74, Wednesday, June 21, 11:35 am central
CHC: RHP Kyle Hendricks (2-2, 3.18 ERA)
PIT: LHP Rich Hill (6-6, 4.31 ERA)

Tags
2023 Series Thread
Pittsburgh Pirates
Rich Hill

Comments

[ ]

Submitted by crunch on Mon, 06/19/2023 - 06:36 pm

based on what ive seen with my own eyes in AAA as well as MLB games, no, he's decent at 3rd...average at worst.  he's even better at 2nd.

where he's not good, the OF, seems to be where the team wants him.  his routes make k.schwarber look like a gold glover.

the team needs a 3rd baseman.  they're giving a couple guys who shouldn't see more than 200 PA year almost solely off the bench that playing time, though.

[ ]

Submitted by Dolorous Jon Lester on Mon, 06/19/2023 - 06:42 pm

The third base spot… I do find myself wondering if their thought process involved entertaining the thought of bidding on Machado or Devers. Would they have truly pursued them and won? We’ll never know. I tend to think they’d have been outbid anyway.

But it recalls to my mind when our 3B was Luis Valbuena (RIP). I remember thinking and telling fellow fans when Valbuena is no longer our starting 3B, the team is serious about winning again. He was traded right before 2015. I’m getting that same feeling when it comes to the Wisdom/ Madrigal/ Boner group.

[ ]

Submitted by crunch on Mon, 06/19/2023 - 06:20 pm

the only knock with morel at 3rd is his arm accuracy unless i'm missing something.  the dude has the velocity in the arm and a steady glove.  the arm accuracy can't be that awful or not able to be improved (maybe).  i mean, he's decent enough at SS and 2nd with the arm.  he doesn't miss the cutoff man by miles in the OF throwing in.

i don't get how trying to make him a 3rd baseman is any worse than trying to make him an OF'r...at all.

[ ]

Submitted by crunch on Mon, 06/19/2023 - 06:01 pm

personally, weighing both sides of his ability and his current use...i would make the dude a super-utility guy who's "home" is 3rd base.

OF'r needs rest?  morel to OF.  SS or 2nd needs rest or injured?  morel to 2nd.  usual OF + middle IF playing...stick morel at 3rd.

[ ]

Submitted by George Altman on Tue, 06/20/2023 - 06:00 pm

Unless they can get a 3B at the Deadline, these are the bats you have to start 13 out of 14-15 games: Tauchman, Hoerner, Happ, Suzuki, Bellinger, Swanson, Morel, Gomes, Amaya. Mancini can DH/1B on days you don't want 2 Catchers in the lineup. They're the only productive bats who can also competently play at least one defensive position. I can't imagine a MLB team thinking its a playoff team, giving Mastrobouni, Madrigal, or Barnhart more than 5-6 PAs a week. You can play Morel somewhere other than 3B but it's usually ugly. I'd like to believe the Cubs have coaches/player development people who could make him a solid average MLB 3rd Baseman.

As a former OF, I'm very biased against fans, 'Experts', etc. opining on making (fill in name) a 'better' Outfielder. As hard as it is to master any OF position, you can only dream it would be as easy as these folks think it is. As Ron Washington says in 'Moneyball', "It's incredibly hard."

Submitted by crunch on Mon, 06/19/2023 - 06:30 pm

masterboney comes to bat with men on base and it starts raining.  maybe he'll get some help here.

Submitted by crunch on Mon, 06/19/2023 - 06:52 pm

hack wilson, bill nicholson, and riggs stephenson getting a shoutout on the broadcast.  nice.

also nicholson should be in the team HOF already...dunno why he wasn't in the initial class, much less passed on since then.

Submitted by Cubster on Tue, 06/20/2023 - 06:18 pm

On the Cub 4th run, a sac fly by Suzuki that scored Hoerner (on a challenge review)... JD said that on the replay he saw daylight between Nico's head-first slide and the tag  by the catcher's glove... and "the tassels don't count."

The tassel might have touched him. Does anyone know if there is an official rule about glove loose strings/tassels?

That was a cool play.

Submitted by crunch on Tue, 06/20/2023 - 06:10 pm

swanson getting xrays on his wrist (right) after experiencing swelling after HBP.  he wasn't removed from the game after the HBP, btw.

oh boy, looks like we're in for some masterboney + madrigal in the lineup at the same time unless d.ross decides morel can actually play the infield.

Submitted by Childersb3 on Tue, 06/20/2023 - 06:25 pm

Heuer comes out of the game in Iowa in serious pain. He was running around the mound in agony after airmailing a pitch to the backstop.

Awful for Codi

[ ]

Submitted by Dolorous Jon Lester on Wed, 06/21/2023 - 06:58 am

That looks really bad, like potential career  ending bad. I hope for all the best for him.

I definitely thought the circumstances of his rehab have been pretty weird. He went from a longer TJS recovery to potentially being back when first eligible to updates that he’s still not ready, and when the more frequent updates from the team stopped I figured it wasn’t good.

I guess it’s a good thing we re-signed Duffey now. Not the same caliber of reliever, but worthwhile as depth or a middle relief option.

Submitted by Dolorous Jon Lester on Wed, 06/21/2023 - 06:06 am

Baseball fun fact and a sign of the times…. Rich Hill faces Kyle Hendricks today. Rich Hill is 43 years old and made his debut in 2005, been in pro baseball forever. Kyle Hendricks debuted in 2015. Career wins:

Rich Hill: 88
Kyle Hendricks: 89

Submitted by crunch on Wed, 06/21/2023 - 06:11 am

given the rest between games because of the london series, smyly will be available out of the pen.  steele and stroman will start.  crumpets n stuff, yo.

Submitted by crunch on Wed, 06/21/2023 - 06:36 pm

i seem to care whether MIL loses today (down by 3 in the 8th).  i told myself i wouldn't care til the cubs got to .500, but it seems caring got here a bit early.

also, this team is trying real hard to have historically terrible production out of the 1st base slot between hosmer, mancini, mervis, and bellinger.

[ ]

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Sat, 06/24/2023 - 06:26 am

DJL: If Manuel Rodriguez is moved from the Cubs Taxi Squad to the MLB Active List roster this weekend, a player will need to be dropped from the 40 (DFA or 60-day IL), most likely Brad Boxberger to the 60-day IL. 

The fact that the Cubs chose M-Rod to be the Taxi Squad pitcher in London is a pretty good indicator the he is the "next man up" (at least as things stand right now) as far as the Cubs MLB bullpen is concerned. 

It is also noteworthy that Rios is the 27th man and that Velazquez is the position player on the Taxi Squad. (No Matt Mervis).  

[ ]

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Sat, 06/24/2023 - 06:18 am

1B-3B Edwin Rios has been recalled and is the Cubs 27th man for the London series, and OF Nelson Velazquez (position player) and RHRP Manuel Rodriguez (pitcher) are on the Taxi Squad (available to be activated if a Cubs player goes down with an injury or illness while the club is in London). 

A player on the Taxi Squad does not accrue MLB Service Time and is paid at the minor league rate, and the player can be replaced on the minor league affiliate's active roster while he is absent.   

Normally only one player can be on a club's MLB Taxi Squad at any one time, but the limit is usually expanded to two players (per the MLB Commissioner) whenever an MLB club is playing outside of the U. S. / Canada, as is the case this weekend. 

Players called up to the Taxi Squad usually are not identified, the exception being when players are called up for a game or games played outside the U. S. 

The Taxi Squad is normally used only when a club is contemplating placing a player on the IL but hasn't decided yet, or if a trade is imminent. 

Submitted by crunch on Fri, 06/23/2023 - 06:58 pm

elly de la cruz has a cycle for the reds.  amazing, amazing, amazing talent.  this is a different team since he showed up.  eric davis in 1989 was the last reds cycle.

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    thomas hatch is going to fight ham in japan.  he was on PIT's 40-man.

  • crunch (view)

    morel played somewhere besides 3rd and SS...he got 8 innings in CF, 2 putouts and an assist.

  • crunch (view)

    ryan flaherty new cubs bench coach.

  • crunch (view)

    bellinger wins comeback player of the year.  the AL winner was liam hendricks and his 5ip before he got tommy john...setting himself up for a 2025 shot at the award.

  • Bill (view)

    I hope that Perlaza goes on to have a successful career.  On most Cubs teams prior to the current administration, he would have been one of their more highly ranked prospects.  As far as the others are concerned, one or more may well go on to be much better than expected, but unfortunately there is no way to tell which one at the present time.  You can't keep everyone.

  • crunch (view)

    s.gray signs with the cards...3/75m

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Another one of the nine Cubs post-2023 Rule 9 minor league 6YFA has signed, as RHP Carlos Guzman (acquired from the Tigers for Zack McKinstry at the end of Spring Training) signed a 2024 minor league contract with the Mets. 

     

    So RHRP Yovanny Cruz (SD), C-INF P. J. Higgins (CIN), and now Carlos Guzman (NYM) have already signed 2024 minor league contracts with new MLB organizations, and OF Yonathan Perlaza is headed for Korea (Hanhwa Eagles).

  • crunch (view)

    ...and back to 3rd for another game.  at this point i'm gonna hang back and when/if he actually plays 1st then i'll find it notable.  i am glad he's playing a good amount of 3rd, though...give the club one more good look at him there.  shrug

  • crunch (view)

    morel played SS last night (no errors)...hit a homer and a double.  he's got 2 of both in 19PA.

  • crunch (view)

    e.escobar was throwing 95-97mph on his fastball in 2023.

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