Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full), plus one player is 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 3-28-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 13
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
* 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: 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 

10-DAY IL: 1 
Patrick Wisdom, INF 

15-DAY IL: 1 
Jameson Taillon, P 

60-DAY IL: 1 
Caleb Kilian, P 

 



 

Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Exiled Russell Rehabs Strained Image

Opening Day, 2018. Ian Happ swatted the first pitch of the MLB season into the seats in Miami. Addison Russell was all over the box score of that game. 2/3 at the plate, stole a base, turned a couple of DPs, got picked off, hit by a pitch and made an error.

Opening Day, 2019. Ian Happ was back in Des Moines and Triple A. Addison Russell was in two states at once; Arizona and Limbo, staying loose at Extended Spring Training while his suspension for conduct unbecoming of an MLB spouse/domestic partner ran its course. Now that its days are numbered, Russell has joined Happ (not to mention Carl Edwards Jr.) on the roster of the Iowa Cubs. Who knows when Happ and Edwards will be back in Chicago, but Russell can reasonably expect to be there when the Cardinals come calling on May 3.

Russell’s been here before, for 11 games in 2015 and a single one in 2017, but under very different circumstances. The first time he was an ascending wunder-prospect. The last time he was coming off an injury. This time, he’s coming out of the penalty box, working on some behavioral rehab.

You gotta think right about now he’d rather face someone like Max Scherzer than another “I’m a changed man,” presser, but I think he’s scheduled for one later today.

Wednesday night he was greeted with what I would describe as polite, big-leaguer-in-town applause when his name was announced in the starting lineup. He didn’t inflate the crowd as rehabbers sometimes do, but he did oblige some autograph-seekers. In the dugout with his temporary teammates, he appeared to be one of the guys. When the kid who was chosen for the nightly “pick-to-click” promo chose Russell (if the “pick-to-click” gets a hit, everybody in the picker’s row wins some sort of token), Happ and the rest of the boys were giving it to him good-naturedly.

So, so far; so good. Good luck, I guess, to young Mr. Russell who, whatever else he may be guilty of, will never be accused of sterility. His third child with a third woman was born last fall. Hopefully, his counseling on the ways and means of adulthood includes the basics of birth control.

Footnotes: The other two Chicago Musketeers, Happ and Edwards, had good nights. Two hits, a stolen base and zero Ks for #8 @ position #8; a scoreless frame with a pair of whiffs for the former Slim Reaper as the I-Cubs improved to 12-7 and stayed two games in front of the Memphis Redbirds.

Comments

Recent comments

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    RHRP Hunter Bigge was sent back to Minor League Camp in Mesa from AAA Iowa and has been assigned to the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp to make room for recently signed free-agent C Curt Casali on the Iowa Cubs active roster. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    21-year old 6'5 RHP (ex-1B) Francis Reynoso continues to impress with his high velo FB / hard SL combo. He just arrived from the Cubs Dominican Academy a couple of weeks ago and is presently assigned to the Mesa (ACL Cubs) group at Minor League Camp, but given his stuff and his ability to command it, he could end up at South Bend by the end of the season (he also is Rule 5 Draft-eligible post-2024).    

    As I have mentioned here previously, Reynoso was a first-baseman in the Cardinals organization 2021-22, and he struck out 83 times in just 213 PA between the DSL and the FCL before getting released in December 2022. Then the Cubs signed him last June and converted him to a RHP at their Dominican Academy, just like they did in 2021 with ex-SS Michael Arias after he was released by the Blue Jays. 

  • crunch (view)

    that's moneyballs as hell.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    In case you are wondering if Casali can be called up more than once in 2024 and still return back to AAA each time, an Article XIX-A player (that is, player has accrued at least five years of MLB Service Time) can choose to sign a 45-day waiver each time he is called up whereby the player promises not to elect free-agency if he is sent back to the minors (optioned or outrighted) within 45 days of the call-up. However, the player would have to be placed on Outright Assignment waivers (and so he could get claimed off waivers) each time he is outrighted back to the minors (if the player is out of minor league options, which Casali is). Obviously a player does not have to agree to sign the waiver, but I suspect the Cubs asked Casali if he would be willing to do it (and he probanly said he would) before he was signed.

     

  • Jackstraw (view)

    On the bright side, Counsell's daily rate is only $21,857.92 this year, rather than the usual $21,917.81, due to it being Leap Year and all.  So, a much cheaper questionable decision.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    As I mentioned here last Monday when I posted the Iowa Cubs Opening Day roster (see above), the Cubs would be looking for a catcher to replace Jorge Alfaro as the primary catcher at AAA after Alfaro somewhat surprisingly opted out. And so the Cubs have signed veteran catcher Curt Casali to a 2024 Minor League contract and he will be the # 1 catcher at Iowa and will be available to get called up in case anything happens to Gomes or Amaya.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    If Steele's MRI is bad enough to warrant an IL stint (and that would appear to be the case), the Cubs could bring up an extra bullpen arm (K. Thompson or Palencia) until Steele's next scheduled start next Wednesday when a replacement SP can be called up (Wesneski or Brown), at which point the temporary RP can be sent back to AAA.

  • Charlie (view)

    I'd like to see the Cubs use that DH spot to get another impact bat into the lineup. This year they are more likely to use it to get a bench quality player more ABs and to take starters out of their defensive roles because they don't yet have another impact bat to put in there.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    I think ideally the DH is a fourth OF or backup corner IF (or both) who is a good hitter and can rotate into the spot vacated when a starter needs a day off from the field.

  • Charlie (view)

    I worry that Morel will lose starts at 3B as long as this roster lacks a compelling DH.