The Cubs announced their roster against the Dodgers at the Tokyo Dome (Taylor McGregor relay of Marquee Sports Network) in the season opener Tuesday night. As expected, Chicago officially advances to top third base prospect Matt Shaw. They appointed relief workers Keegan Thompson To clear the necessary roster of 40 people. The move was foreshadowed when they turned the election roster right off the travel roster last week. Chicago is correct Javier Assad On the 15-day injury list, left-tilted strain.
Shaw’s promotion was the most important of these deals when the Cubs announced that he would travel to Tokyo with the team. The 23-year-old infielder’s figures start at third base against the Dodgers’ right Yoshinobu Yamamoto In his major league debut. This is the rapid growth of minors in Maryland products. The Cubs selected him as No. 13 in 2023. Xiao reached .357 in 38 games in the lower grades in the draft year. He continued to roam while heading to Double-A to start the ’24 campaign.
The correct hit infielder played 86 games at the Double-A level. He hit .279/.373/.468 to win the promotion to Iowa Triple-A in August. He performed better at the highest minor league level, ending the year with a slash of 0.298/.395/.534 in 35 games. The Cubs cleared the road to take over the hot corner when he traded Isaac Paredes As part of Houston Kyle Tucker Blockbuster.
Chicago pushes it Alex Bregman Due to the possibility that short-term trading becomes legal. Bregman agreed to a three-year contract with the Red Sox, and Hot Corner became Shaw’s job. While it is unlikely that the needle will be moved in one way or another, he hasn’t hurt his case by collecting five hits and three strikeouts in 19 spring training board appearances.
Xiao is the most important consensus choice for the prospects in a powerful bear system. He ranks in the top 50 prospects in the sport in Baseball, Fangraphs (Eric Longenhagen), MLB Pipeline, ESPN (Kiley McDaniel) and Athletic (Keith Law). Various scout reports Shaw is a potential 25-man bat with high average ability, although McDaniel and Longenhagen each expressed a small concern about the tendency to chase sliders in the outer hemisphere. The zo is considered a runner and should be able to stick to the infield.
Xiao is a mid-stop player, Xiao will mainly be with Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner Has a fixed midfielder. Hoerner did not travel to Tokyo when he recovered from October flexor tendon surgery. The Cubs have been hoping Hoerner is ready for next Thursday’s domestic opening day. Jon Bertie It seems to be the most likely option to start both games.
Shaw is easily able to get the Prospect Criterion that promotes incentives for CBA Prospect Prospect (with at least two top 100 in the preseason, two of the top 100 lists for MLB Pipeline and ESPN). Assuming he insists on tying the Cubs’ roster throughout the Cubs’ service year, the team will get additional draft picks after the first round if Shaw either won Rookie of the Year or ranked in the top three in his first three seasons with MVP. Xiao will be under control of the club by 2030 and will be arbitrated in the 2027-28 offseason if he has an active roster. If he struggles and the Cubs pick him back to a minor, it’s obviously likely to change his free agent trajectory.
Although Xiao is Gao’s well-known rookie, he is not the only cub infielder to debut in Major League Baseball. Rule 5 Choice Gage Workers It also became the opening day lineup. Chicago snatched left-handed batsman from the Detroit system in December. Workman made a fourth-round draft pick from Arizona in 2020, beating .280/.366/.476 in Double-A with 18 home runs and 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases. He has never played at the minor league level.
The workers did not do much in the camp, forcing the bear to hang on him. He drilled three home runs, stole many bases, and reached .424 in 15 spring training games. Workers have a powerful combination of strength and motility. He is a capable defender on the left side of the infield. The question is whether he will make enough connections to stick to the MLB roster. Workers fanned with a 27.5% cut last season, with a strikeout rate of 32.9%.
The team must retain a 5-standard trial or injury list throughout the season to retain their long-term contract rights. Otherwise, they need to put it on immunity and return it to their original organization if it is unclaimed. Bear has Bertie, the worker, Justin Turner and options Vidal Bruján Working on the bench. Once Hoerner is healthy, they may not be able to line up all four players, but each of them competed in two games in Tokyo.
Image courtesy of Allan Henry, Image.
