Who rounds out the 26-man roster? Key decisions loom for the Chicago Cubs before Opening Day.
The Chicago Cubs will kick off their regular season one week from today.
The Cubs will open the season at home against the Washington Nationals on Thursday, March 26. Matthew Boyd is set to start for the North Siders in the season opener opposite Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli.
The Cubs will have to cut down their roster size before next week. So, let’s look at which 26 players will make the Opening Day roster.
Here is my final prediction for the Cubs’ 26-man Opening Day roster.
Projected Starting Lineup
C — Carson Kelly
1B — Michael Busch
2B — Nico Hoerner
3B — Alex Bregman
SS — Dansby Swanson
LF — Ian Happ
CF — Pete Crow-Armstrong
RF — Seiya Suzuki
DH — Moises Ballesteros
Bench
Miguel Amaya, C
Matt Shaw, UTIL
Dylan Carlson, OF (NRI)
Michael Conforto, OF (NRI)
Starting Rotation
LHP Matthew Boyd
RHP Cade Horton
LHP Shota Imanaga
RHP Edward Cabrera
RHP Jameson Taillon
Bullpen
RHP Daniel Palencia (CL)
RHP Phil Maton
RHP Colin Rea
RHP Jacob Webb
RHP Hunter Harvey
RHP Javier Assad
LHP Caleb Thielbar
LHP Hoby Milner
Roster Breakdown
Catchers (2): Carson Kelly, Miguel Amaya
Infielders (5): Michael Busch, Nico Hoerner, Dansby Swanson, Alex Bregman, Matt Shaw
Outfielders (5): Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki, Dylan Carlson, Michael Conforto
Designated Hitter (1): Moises Ballesteros
Starting Pitchers (5): Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton, Shota Imanaga, Edward Cabrera, Jameson Taillon
Left-Handed Relievers (2): Caleb Thielbar, Hoby Milner
Right-Handed Relievers (6): Daniel Palencia, Phil Maton, Colin Rea, Jacob Webb, Hunter Harvey, Javier Assad
Roster Decisions
The Cubs will have to make a couple of roster decisions before next week. The biggest one is whether to put Seiya Suzuki on the 10-day injured list to begin the season.
Suzuki is dealing with a PCL sprain that could result in him missing the first two weeks of the regular season. If he is eventually placed on IL, expect another outfielder like Chas McCormick or Kevin Alcantara to make the Opening Day roster.
The other roster decisions will come down to the last two bench spots and the last bullpen spot.
Given how well both Michael Conforto and Dylan Carlson have hit the ball this spring, they have the inside edge at earning the last two roster spots. Conforto is hitting .269 with three doubles and one RBI, while Carlson is hitting .343 with two doubles and three RBI.
The last bullpen spot will likely come down to Javier Assad and Ben Brown. Assad pitched well for Team Mexico in the World Baseball Classic, and Brown has shown some nice things this spring. Brown just struck out six across four strong innings in his last spring appearance.
However, the Cubs might like the consistency of Assad over Brown to start the season. With many of the starters not fully built up yet, the team could lean on Assad more in that multi-inning reliever role.