Cubs trim Spring Training roster, with most moves predictable. Only one pitcher's demotion raises a slight eyebrow as the season nears.
Over the next two weeks, the Chicago Cubs will reduce their Spring Training roster. Roster cuts will continue until the Cubs are left with 26 players. Those 26 players would then be the team’s Opening Day roster.
For the most part, the Cubs' 26-man roster is set to begin the year. There are really only three spots currently up for grabs. Two of those spots are for bench position players, and the other one is the last bullpen spot.
On Sunday, the Cubs made their first move to reduce their Spring Training roster.
The team optioned pitcher Riley Martin, pitcher Jack Neely, infielder Ben Cowles, and second baseman James Triantos to Triple-A Iowa. Infielder Pedro Ramirez was optioned to Double-A Knoxville, and pitchers Grant Kipp, Connor Noland, Connor Schultz, and Jaxon Wiggins were returned to Minor League camp.
These players will not start the season in the Major Leagues. The 11 roster cuts now leave 53 players currently in Cubs camp. That number should get even lower once the second-round of roster cuts happens sometime next week.
There weren’t any major surprises from the first set of roster cuts on Sunday. Wiggins was expected to begin the season down in the Minors, and despite a strong spring from Ramirez, he is still not quite ready to make an impact in the big leagues.
The only slight surprise from this list is Neely, who seemed to be making a name for himself early in the spring. While he faced an uphill battle to make the Opening Day roster, seeing him included in the first-round roster cuts is a bit unexpected.
The right-hander has looked good in his three appearances so far this spring. He has allowed no runs, no hits, two walks, and six strikeouts across three innings. Neely also has a 43.5% whiff rate and a 36.8% chase rate in those three Spring Training games.
However, he obviously needs more work in the Minors after finishing with a 6.23 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP across 30 ⅓ innings pitched at Triple-A last year. The Cubs likely didn’t feel comfortable enough to give him a roster spot following those struggles in 2025.
The next set of roster cuts should happen next week. Several players like Gavin Hollowell, Ethan Roberts, Ryan Rolison, Michael Conforto, Justin Dean, Kevin Alcantara, Dylan Carlson, and Chas McCormick are all currently on the roster bubble.
It’ll definitely be an interesting few weeks for those players.