Cubs Trim Spring Roster to 36 Players, 8 More Cuts Left

The Cubs have assigned seven players to Triple-A Iowa’s roster, reducing the spring roster from 43 to 36 players. Right-hander Manuel Rodríguez was part of that group, which is perhaps a little bit of a surprise.

Six non-roster invitees have been assigned to Iowa’s roster: right-handed pitchers Adrian Sampson, Mark Leiter Jr., Eric Yardley, and Cayne Ueckert, and catchers John Hicks and P.J. Higgins.

Chicago’s spring roster of 36 players consists of 20 pitchers (four non-roster invitees), two catchers, eight infielders (one NRI) and six outfielders. This leaves eight cuts, but one of those will just be moving Wade Miley to the IL. Steven Brault is one of the NRIs and he’s dealing with a triceps issue that may shelve him for months, so that’s another cut.

While there are still a few decisions to make, it feels like Rodríguez being optioned throws the door open for Ethan Roberts.