Top prospects and seasoned veterans join the fray as 18 players vie for a shot at the Cubs' Opening Day roster.
After a long offseason, Chicago Cubs baseball is almost here.
Pitchers and catchers will officially report on February 11, the team’s first full squad workout is February 16, and the Cubs' first Spring Training game will happen on February 20 against the Chicago White Sox.
With the season right around the corner, the Cubs announced their non-roster invites for Spring Training. 18 total players received a non-roster invite, including a few top prospects and a couple of veterans that Chicago signed this offseason.
Pitchers
- Jeff Brigham
- Grant Kipp
- Corbin Martin
- Connor Noland
- Connor Schultz
- Collin Snider
- Trent Thornton
- Jaxon Wiggins
Catchers
- Ariel Armas
- Christian Bethancourt
- Casey Optiz
Infielders
- Scott Kingery
- Jonathon Long
- B.J. Murray
- Jefferson Rojas
Outfielders
- Brett Bateman
- Dylan Carlson
- Chas McCormick
There are a couple of notable names on this non-roster invite list. Grant Kipp, Connor Noland, Jaxon Wiggins, Jonathan Long, Jefferson Rojas, and Brett Bateman were all ranked as top 30 prospects in the Cubs’ farm system on MLB Pipeline at the end of the 2025 season.
Wiggins is obviously the most well-known of the bunch. He comes into the 2026 season as the team’s No. 2 overall prospect and is ranked No. 58 overall on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects.
It is great to see Wiggins get his first opportunity to participate in big league camp. While the hard-throwing right-hander will likely not make the Cubs’ Opening Day roster, it signals that his Major League debut is quickly approaching.
The other top five prospects that received non-roster invites are Rojas (No. 3), Long (No. 6), Kipp (No. 17), Bateman (No. 19), and Noland (No. 20). These five prospects will get to show their potential in Major League camp.
The other notable non-roster invites include Dylan Carlson, Chas McCormick, Corbin Martin, Collin Snider, and Trent Thornton. All five of these players signed Minor League deals with the Cubs in the offseason.
Carlson and McCormick will be battling it out for that final outfield spot on the roster, while Martin, Snider, and Thornton will all be trying to win a bullpen spot out of Spring Training.
One of these players could make the Cubs’ Opening Day roster. Which one will depend on how each performs throughout the spring.
Carlson and McCormick probably have the best shot of the 18 non-roster invitees to make the team out of camp. The veterans will have to beat out Kevin Alcantara and Justin Dean for that final outfield spot. That’s certainly a possibility.
Last year, Matt Shaw was a non-roster invitee heading into Spring Training. He then made the Cubs' Opening Day roster.
So, one of these 18 non-roster invitees could follow a similar path in 2026.