The Cubs’ 26-man roster for the wild-card series against the Padres at Wrigley Field this week includes three rookies, 14 players with postseason experience and three players who have won a World Series.
“I don’t think there’s probably a lot of surprises for you guys here,” manager Craig Counsell said Tuesday, shortly after the Cubs released their roster.
It was true. The Cubs were expected to carry 14 position players and 12 pitchers for the wild-card round, since pitching depth is less important in a short series. But it wasn’t immediately clear which pitchers would be left off.
When right-hander Javier Assad pitched 5 ⅓ innings on Sunday, it became clear that he wouldn’t be available.
“In the next round, obviously we’ll have more decisions to make, and then certainly he’ll be under consideration,” Counsell said. “But with how we thought the regular season should best transpire, this was the roster that made the most sense.”
Counsell had spoken glowingly about the impact rookie Moises Ballesteros had made on offense toward the end of the year. And on Tuesday, he officially landed on the wild-card roster.
In the last couple weeks of the season, questions lingered about whether catcher Miguel Amaya, who missed much of the season with a strained oblique and then a sprained ankle, would be ready in time for the postseason. The Cubs did not include him on the roster.
“Amaya, really, at this point, just hasn’t played that much, unfortunately, with the injuries,” Counsell said of the decision.
Since the end of May, Amaya has appeared in just 16 minor-league rehab games and one major-league game.
Teams submit a roster before each round of the playoffs. They can request permission for injury replacements, but for the most part, the roster is set for the duration of the series.
The Cubs also rolled out their usual regular-season lineup, with one minor exception.
On Friday, Kyle Tucker returned from a lingering calf strain, but he served as the designated hitter all weekend and didn’t play in right field. He again was the DH Tuesday, with Seiya Suzuki starting in right field.
“He just hasn’t been in the outfield for the last month of the season,” Counsell said. “The calf [injury] is still there, a little bit. I think we’re making progress. He had a very good day yesterday and was in the outfield shagging for quite a bit of batting practice. But at this point, still feel like this is our best alignment.”
Left-handed pitcher (5)
LHP Matthew Boyd
LHP Shota Imanaga
LHP Drew Pomeranz
LHP Taylor Rogers
LHP Caleb Thielbar
Right-handed pitchers (7)
RHP Aaron Civale
RHP Brad Keller
RHP Andrew Kittredge
RHP Daniel Palencia
RHP Colin Rea
RHP Michael Soroka
RHP Jameson Taillon
Catchers (3)
C/DH Moisés Ballesteros
C Carson Kelly
C Reese McGuire
Infielders (6)
1B Michael Busch
2B Nico Hoerner
SS Dansby Swanson
3B Matt Shaw
INF/DH Justin Turner
UTL Willi Castro
Outfielders (5)
OF Kevin Alcántara
CF Pete Crow-Armstrong
LF Ian Happ
RF Seiya Suzuki
RF Kyle Tucker
