The Chicago Cubs have been in Japan for about a week now. Tomorrow, they’re set to take on the defending champions- the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Chicago Cubs have officially set their 26-man Opening Day roster for their two-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Cubs will kick off the MLB season at the Tokyo Dome beginning on Tuesday morning, and they made a series of roster moves to prepare for the game.
Chief among those moves was the official addition of infielder Matt Shaw to the team’s 40-man roster, paving the way for him to potentially make his Major League debut in Japan this week.
To clear a spot on the roster, the Cubs designated pitcher Keegan Thompson for assignment.
The Cubs also placed pitcher Javier Assad on the 15-day injured list with a left oblique strain, and optioned pitcher Daniel Palencia to Triple-A Iowa, the team said.
The Cubs will be without infielder Nico Hoerner for the games in Japan, as he’s continuing to work his way back from injury. The Cubs are hoping to have him in the lineup when they take on the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first game of a four-game set on March 27, their first game stateside.
Jameson Taillon was also not included on the active roster for the series.
Here is the full roster for the Tokyo series:
Pitchers – Ryan Brasier, Ben Brown, Porter Hodge, Shota Imanaga, Julian Merryweather, Tyson Miller, Eli Morgan, Nate Pearson, Ryan Pressly, Colin Rea, Justin Steele, Caleb Thielbar, Jordan Wicks
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Catchers – Miguel Amaya, Carson Kelly
Infielders – Jon Berti, Vidal Bruján, Michael Busch, Matt Shaw, Dansby Swanson, Justin Turner, Gage Workman
Outfielders – Pete Crow-Armstrong, Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Kyle Tucker
