MESA, Ariz. – Beginning the season in Japan adds a twist to setting the Opening Day roster. And the Cubs need to have their travel roster set before boarding the plane in a week, following their Cactus League game against the Brewers on March 11.
Though the Cubs would prefer to make most decisions on non-roster invitees and players without options before the Tokyo Series, there is extra flexibility for the pair of early regular season games so that the teams involved aren’t put at a disadvantage. The Cubs therefore could put off some such decisions until domestic opening day.
For example, the Cubs have ruled out second baseman Nico Hoerner for the Japan trip, as he builds up after an offseason forearm surgery. But he doesn’t have to occupy a 26-man active roster spot, even if the Cubs don’t put him on the 10-day injured list.
The active roster still has 26 spots for the two games between the Cubs and Dodgers. But because teams will only need two starters, rather than the five that teams typically carry during the season, they have room for extra relievers.
The travel roster has 31 spots total, and a player doesn’t need to be on the 40-man roster to make the trip. All players on the travel roster are eligible for the two exhibition games leading up to the Tokyo Series.
The Cubs will give themselves as much time as possible to finalize the roster. But with a week to go, let’s have some fun and project a possible roster, including both the 26-man and the rest of the travel squad:
Starting pitchers (2)
LHP Shota Imanaga
LHP Justin Steele
Naming Imanaga the Opening Day starter was a no-brainer for the Cubs, as he returns to his home country, where he played eight seasons of Nippon Professional Baseball. Imanaga also represented Japan as a member of the national team in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, along with the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki.
Steele, the Cubs’ 2024 Opening Day starter, was another clear choice for the top of the rotation. Steele adds to the list of countries in which he’s pitched after also making a start in the London Series two years ago.
Relievers (11)
RHP Ryan Pressly
RHP Porter Hodge
RHP Ryan Brasier
RHP Eli Morgan
LHP Caleb Thielbar
RHP Julian Merryweather
RHP Nate Pearson
RHP Colin Rea
RHP Tyson Miller
RHP Keegan Thompson
LHP Brandon Hughes
With so many spots, the Cubs could go a number of directions with their bullpen. But the number of more veteran relievers who are on the 40-man roster and out of minor-league options will likely mean that several promising arms – both young and with options, and non-roster invitees – will be left off to begin the year.
Rea is a strong contender for the back end of the rotation. But in the Tokyo Series, he could provide length out of the bullpen. That will be especially valuable considering starters may not be fully stretched out because of the early schedule.
The Cubs would need to make a 40-man roster move to add Hughes, a non-roster invitee. But he would give the Cubs a second left-handed relief option. And he still has minor-league options. So, if the Cubs were to need his spot for a starter when they resume the season stateside, they could send him out without exposing him to waivers.
Another non-roster invitee who has impressed this spring is Brad Keller. But more on him later.
Catchers (2)
Miguel Amaya
Carson Kelly
No surprises here. It has been obvious since the Cubs signed Kelly to a two-year deal in December that Amaya and Kelly would share the catching duties.
The Cubs are expected to bring a third catcher, likely non-roster invitee Reese McGuire, on the trip for additional depth. But they wouldn’t have to put him on the active roster.
Infield (7)
1B Michael Busch
2B/UTL Jon Berti
SS Dansby Swanson
3B Matt Shaw
1B/DH Justin Turner
UTL Vidal Bruján
UTL Gage Workman
Shaw’s buildup, after being slowed by an oblique injury, is a major question mark in the Cubs’ infield picture. He played his second Cactus League game of the year on Tuesday. The team has yet to commit either way on his status for the Tokyo Series.
The bench battle has been one of the more compelling storylines this spring.
“From the position player side, the players that are competing for jobs, frankly, are all having wonderful springs,” manager Craig Counsell said Tuesday, naming Bruján, Workman, Nicky Lopez and Ben Cowles.
Counsell praised Buján for leaving every game with a dirty uniform – a sign that he’d spent a lot of time on the bases and shown defensive effort at multiple positions. Counsell complimented Workman on the way he’s handled a high-pressure spring as a Rule 5 Draft pick.
Lopez has the disadvantage of being a non-roster invitee, but he’s still in the mix for a bench spot. This projection includes him on the travel roster, where he could provide depth at multiple spots in case of injury, but not the 26-man.
Cowles, who played in Double-A last season, is likely to begin the year in Triple-A, but he could contribute later in the year.
Outfield (4)
LF Ian Happ
CF Pete Crow-Armstrong
RF Kyle Tucker
DH/OF Seiya Suzuki
Cubs outfield prospect Kevin Alcántara has a shot at making the roster. But with bench spots in high demand and without an avenue to regular playing time, he may be better served beginning the season in Triple-A.
The Cubs also have outfield options among their utility players, depending on which make the roster. Bruján leads that group in major-league outfield experience.
Additional travel roster (5)
RHP Jameson Taillon
LHP Matt Boyd
RHP Brad Keller (NRI)
UTL Nicky Lopez (NRI)
C Reese McGuire (NRI)
Taillon and Boyd are expected to be in the rotation for domestic opening day. Even off the 26-man roster in Tokyo, they can cover a lot of exhibition-game innings. The Cubs could go with a bullpen game for the first exhibition game and then have two starters piggyback in the second to make sure as many relievers as possible are fresh for Opening Day.
Lefty Jordan Wicks and right-hander Ben Brown are also competing for rotation spots. And the Cubs could value their length when constructing the Tokyo Series roster.
Keller could also provide length and has turned heads with his improved velocity this spring, so he claims a spot on the plane in this projection.