The Chicago Cubs have officially announced their 2019 Opening Day roster, and while there weren’t many surprises, there were some new faces that fans will get to know over the coming months.
The Cubs, who lost in the National League Wild Card Game last season, have made the playoffs in each of the last four seasons, and their roster is largely intact from a season ago.
A few new players will be taking the field on Opening Day, including right-handed pitcher Brad Brach, who made the team after signing a minor league free agent deal during the spring. Infielder Daniel Descalso, who was dealing with an injury during spring training, will also be healthy and active to start the season, and outfielder Mark Zagunis made the club as a reserve player for the coming year.
As was announced earlier this week, outfielder Ian Happ did not make the 25-man roster, and will instead start the season in the minor leagues.
Here is the team’s full roster:
Pitchers: Brad Brach, Tyler Chatwood, Steve Cishek, Yu Darvish, Carl Edwards Jr., Cole Hamels, Kyle Hendricks, Brandon Kintzler, Jon Lester, Mike Montgomery, Jose Quintana, Randy Rosario, Pedro Strop
Catchers: Victor Caratini, Willson Contreras
Chicago Baseball
Infielders: Javier Baez, David Bote, Kris Bryant, Daniel Descalso, Anthony Rizzo, Ben Zobrist
Outfielders: Albert Almora Jr., Jason Heyward, Kyle Schwarber, Mark Zagunis
Four players will start the season on the Injured List for the Cubs, including closer Brandon Morrow and relief pitchers Tony Barnette and Xavier Cedeno. Pitcher Kendall Graveman, recovering from Tommy John Surgery, is on the 60-day Injured List, the team said.
