Cubs trim spring training roster to 37 originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The Chicago Cubs are still making final cuts as they try to craft their 26-man roster to start the season, and a couple more position battles came into focus on Monday according to multiple reports from Arizona.
The first has to do with the team’s outfield situation, as Mike Tauchman was reassigned to the club’s minor league camp, along with left-handed pitcher Reonis Elías, according to MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian.
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Those moves, which cut the team's roster down to 37 players, come two days after the Cubs optioned pitcher Adrian Sampson to Iowa and reassigned Vinny Nittoli to minor-league camp.
Tauchman was viewed as a serious contender for a reserve outfield spot, but his departure likely means that Christopher Morel will break camp with the team.
In 40 at-bats this spring, Tauchman had a home run and four RBI’s, with a .225 batting average. He also had four doubles, but struck out 14 times while walking eight times.
Morel has faced criticism for his strikeout numbers so far this spring, with 24 on the ledger, but he also has four home runs and eight RBI’s, as well as a .269 batting average.
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With Nelson Velazquez also sent to minor-league camp last week, the Cubs seem to be leaning toward carrying four full-time outfielders on their roster, assuming that Seiya Suzuki can avoid a stint on the injured list this spring.
The plan will likely be for Trey Mancini and Patrick Wisdom to both play some right field in Suzuki’s absence, with Morel also serving as an option.
It is still possible that Tauchman could come back to the team if Suzuki is forced to miss at least 10 games at the start of the season, but it's unclear what his situation is at this time.
As for that bullpen, manager David Ross told media in Arizona on Monday that Javier Assad will start the season in the pen after losing out to Hayden Wesneski for a spot in the starting rotation.
His insertion into that mix likely means that the team will have to make another cut or two in the bullpen, with Brandon Hughes’ status still up in the air as he rehabs a minor injury.
The Cubs will still need to trim their roster down to 26 before Thursday’s opener against Milwaukee. They currently have 21 pitchers on their roster, including two that will be on the 60-day injured list to start the season, so they’ll need to trim six more names from that list.
They also have three catchers, with Luis Torrens in all likelihood being cut loose. They have eight infielders, and there is at a chance the team will carry at least seven into the regular season, with Nick Madrigal, Miles Mastrobuoni, Zach McKinstry and Edwin Ríos all vying for spots.
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