Cubs Outright Scott Kingery, Vince Velasquez
The Cubs have sent infielder/outfielder Scott Kingery and right-hander Vince Velasquez outright to Triple-A Iowa, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. That indicates they cleared waivers after being designated for assignment last week. Both players have the right to elect free agency but the log doesn’t indicate whether they will or not.
Kingery, who turns 32 tomorrow, signed a minor league deal with the Cubs in the offseason and cracked the Opening Day roster. He gave them some versatile depth off the bench but manager Craig Counsell didn’t use him much. Kingery was on the roster for a month and put into eight games, mostly as a pinch runner, only getting four plate appearances. It seems Counsell and the Cubs preferred Nicky Lopez in that bench role, as they traded for Lopez last week and added him to the roster, with Kingery bumped off as the corresponding move.
In his big league career, Kingery has been a light-hitting utility guy. In 1,160 plate appearances, he has produced a .227/.278/.381 batting line. He has lined up at every position on the diamond except for first base and catcher.
Players have the right to reject outright assignments in favor of free agency if they have either a previous career outright or at least three years of service time. Kingery qualifies on both accounts. He would surely be limited to minor league offers as a free agent, since every club just declined to claim him off waivers. He could stick with the Cubs as non-roster depth who could be called up in the event of a future injury, though he could also look for a comparable role elsewhere.
Velasquez was called up for one relief appearance last week. He tossed 2 1/3 scoreless frames in his first MLB action since 2023. The Cubs designated him for assignment a day later to swap in another fresh arm. Velasquez, who signed an offseason minor league contract, has a 3.71 ERA across four appearances (three starts) with Iowa.
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images
Justin Steele Out Beyond All-Star Break Due To Flexor Strain
4:40pm: Manager Craig Counsell tells 104.3 The Score that Steele has a flexor strain and will be re-evaluated in a month. The skipper tells Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network that Steele is no longer expected back before the All-Star Break.
3:55pm: Cubs left-hander Justin Steele has hit a setback in his recovery from last year’s elbow surgery, reports Jesse Rogers of ESPN. The specifics of the setback aren’t clear but Rogers suggests that Steele’s return timeline is likely to be pushed into the future.
Steele underwent surgery on his ulnar collateral ligament in April of 2025. The Cubs called it a “revision repair”, something less than a full Tommy John surgery, and suggested Steele could be back in about a year’s time. He was throwing off a mound by the end of January 2026, creating some hope that he could return fairly early in 2026.
The Cubs put Steele on the 60-day injured list just as the season was beginning, meaning he couldn’t officially return prior to late May. Even that timeline may no longer be on the table, as Rogers says the plan of returning by Memorial Day may now be in jeopardy.
Further details will likely be forthcoming from the club prior to tonight’s game. Whenever Steele is finally healthy, it will still be a while before he can rejoin the club. He’ll need to build up through the standard steps of throwing bullpens, then live batting practice, then a rehab assignment, with that overall process to take at least a few weeks.
It’s the latest bit of rough injury news for the Cubs. They have had a number of pitchers hit the injured list this year. In terms of quantity, most of the guys on the IL have been relievers. But the most notable blow has been that starter Cade Horton required Tommy John surgery and will miss the remainder of the season.
As of a few weeks ago, it was possible to imagine the Chicago rotation having Steele, Horton and Edward Cabrera in the top three spots. Now Horton is ruled out completely and Steele is up in the air. Cabrera has a 2.73 earned run average but with some worrying signs under the hood. His four-seam velocity is down more than a tick, having gone from last year’s 97 miles per hour to this year’s 95.7. His strikeout rate has also fallen, sitting at 18.5% this year, a huge drop from the 25.8% rate he had in 2025.
The current rotation is therefore lacking in upside compared to the theoretical one they could have had. Matthew Boyd, Jameson Taillon, Shota Imanaga and Colin Rea are talented pitchers but the whole group would be better if Steele and Horton were in it and if Cabrera was shoving more concretely.
Despite all the injuries, the Cubs have a strong 17-12 record. Assuming they stay in contention for the next few months, they were likely going to be looking for rotation upgrades to replace Horton. If Steele’s setback proves significant, then that should only increase their urgency there. If another injury pops up in the meantime, Javier Assad is probably the next man up, as he is currently pitching in long relief out of the bullpen.
Photo courtesy of Matt Marton, Imagn Images
Cubs Claim Doug Nikhazy, Designate Ben Cowles For Assignment
The Cubs have claimed left-hander Doug Nikhazy off waivers from the White Sox and optioned him to Triple-A Iowa. There wasn’t any previous indication Nikhazy had been removed from the Sox roster but it appears they tried to sneak him through waivers in recent days. The Cubs designated infielder Ben Cowles for assignment to open a 40-man spot. Jordan Bastian of MLB.com was the first to report the moves.
It’s mildly surprising that the Sox put Nikhazy on the wire. He has options and has mostly been in the minors as depth since they claimed him off waivers three weeks ago. They don’t have 40-man pressure, as guys like Tanner Murray and Drew Thorpe are 60-day IL candidates. Perhaps the Sox felt now was a good time to try to pass Nikhazy through waivers since he has an 8.71 earned run average in Triple-A this year.
Instead, the Cubs have swooped in and put the kibosh on that plan. The North Siders are looking past this year’s struggles and focusing on Nikhazy’s better numbers in previous seasons. The southpaw had a strong 2024 campaign in the Guardians’ system, tossing 123 2/3 innings on the farm with a 2.98 ERA. His 10.8% walk rate was high but he struck out 25.4% of batters faced.
He hasn’t been in amazing form since then. He made a brief major league debut in 2025 but spent most of the season in the minors, where he posted a 5.02 ERA. As mentioned, this year has been even worse so far. Despite the poor results of late, he clearly still has interest around the league. The Guards put him on waivers a few weeks ago, which is when the Sox scooped him up. Now the Cubs are taking a turn.
The Cubs have had a large number of pitching injuries this year, moreso in the bullpen than in the rotation. Nikhazy gives them some extra starting depth but perhaps could be recalled if they need a spot start or another long relief option in the bullpen. His stuff isn’t overpowering, as he averages around 90 miles per hour with his fastball. Between that and his subpar control, perhaps he should be moved to the bullpen so that his stuff could play up, but he’s mostly been a starter/swingman to this point in his career.
Cowles, 26, is clearly in a fringe zone where he’s considered a borderline roster guy. The Cubs put him on their 40-man roster in November of 2024. He was designated for assignment in September of last year and claimed by the White Sox. In the offseason, he went to the Cubs, to the Blue Jays and then back to the Cubs via waiver claims. Now he’s been bumped into DFA limbo once again.
Despite all that time on various rosters, he is still looking to make his major league debut, since he hasn’t been producing much in the minors. Back in 2024, he slashed .286/.372/.457 in Double-A, which is why the Cubs gave him a roster spot in the first place. But since then, he has a .235/.305/.372 line in Triple-A.
DFA limbo can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Cubs could take five days to explore trade interest. Cowles hasn’t been hitting for the past year-plus but he does provide speed and defensive versatility. He’s generally good for about 15 to 25 steals per year. Defensively, he has spent time at the three infield spots to the left of first base as well as left field. He still has options and could be stashed in the minors for the rest of this season and one additional campaign.
Photo courtesy of Ed Szczepanski, Imagn Images
Cubs’ Riley Martin To Miss Eight Weeks
Cubs rookie Riley Martin hit the injured list with what was originally described as elbow inflammation this weekend, but the left-hander has now been diagnosed with a flexor strain, per Marquee’s Taylor McGregor. He’s expected to miss around eight weeks, which would sideline the 28-year-old southpaw into late June.
It’s a tough development for both Martin and the Cubs. The 2021 sixth-rounder was added to the 40-man roster back in November in order to shield him from the Rule 5 Draft after he’d posted a 2.69 ERA and 30.7% strikeout rate in 63 2/3 Triple-A frames last year. He was recalled to the majors for his big league debut early this month. Martin’s first few weeks in MLB couldn’t have gone much better. He appeared in eight games and totaled 8 1/3 innings, holding opponents to a pair of runs (2.16 ERA) on five hits and two walks with 10 punchouts.
Martin’s flexor strain is the latest in a mounting number of bullpen injuries for a Cubs team that has also lost Porter Hodge (UCL surgery), Daniel Palencia (lat strain), Hunter Harvey (triceps inflammation) and Caleb Thielbar (hamstring strain) in recent weeks. Hodge’s season is over. Palencia’s lat strain isn’t on his throwing side, so he should be able to return within the next couple weeks. There’s been no indication that Thielbar or Harvey will require lengthy absences.
Even if each of Palencia, Thielbar and Harvey is back at some point in mid-May, it’s a worrisome number of injuries. The Cubs also lost Phil Maton for a couple weeks due to tendinitis in his knee. He returned last night but was tagged for two runs in an inning of work — his fourth straight appearance in which he was charged with two earned runs. Maton’s ERA on the young season sits at a sky-high 14.40, so it seems clear he hasn’t been functioning at 100% to this point.
In addition to both Thielbar and Martin being sidelined, the Cubs are also without 26-year-old lefty Jordan Wicks, who’s on the IL due to elbow inflammation. Left-handed relief is an area of some depth for the Cubs, and veteran Hoby Milner (who signed a one-year deal in free agency this winter) is still healthy, giving skipper Craig Counsell at least one experienced option. Ryan Rolison is currently on the roster as a second lefty, but the former Rockies prospect was a January waiver claim who’s yet to solidify himself in the majors. He’s pitched four scoreless innings so far as a Cub but has fanned only one of the 13 batters he’s faced.
Martin’s timetable makes him a candidate to move to the 60-day injured list the next time the Cubs need a roster spot. It’s feasible he’ll be able to return just inside a 60-day window, but that likely won’t dissuade the Cubs from making the move, given a difference of just a few days between his best-case scenario and that 60-day term. In the meantime, he’ll accrue major league service time and major league salary.
Cubs Select Yacksel Rios, Designate Vince Velasquez For Assignment
In a series of moves relayed by Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network, the Cubs are expected to select right-hander Yacksel Rios and recall lefty Charlie Barnes. Righty Vince Velasquez will be designated for assignment. Left-hander Riley Martin is heading to the 15-day injured list (retroactive to April 24) with elbow inflammation. The team has officially announced the moves.
Velasquez’s minor league contract was only just selected on Friday, and he pitched well in what could end up being his only appearance in a Chicago uniform. The right-hander allowed one hit over 2 1/3 shutout innings against the Dodgers in Velasquez’s first MLB outing since the 2023 season, when he was with the Pirates.
Elbow surgery sidelined Velasquez for the entire 2024 campaign, and his 2025 season saw him pitch both in the KBO League with the Lotte Giants and with the Guardians’ Triple-A club. Cleveland designated Velasquez for assignment and outrighted him off its 40-man roster last year, so that past outright means that Velasquez can opt for free agency instead of accepting an outright assignment from the Cubs if he clears waivers.
Velasquez could opt to stick around at Triple-A Iowa if for no other reason than the Cubs’ seemingly endless list of pitching injuries might allow him a relatively quick return to the Show. Chicago has eight relievers and 11 pitchers overall on the 15- or 60-day IL now that Martin has been sidelined.
Martin last pitched on Thursday, when he threw a scoreless inning in the Cubs’ 8-7 win over the Phillies. The rookie southpaw been quite impressive since making his Major League debut in early April, as Martin has a 2.16 ERA, 32.3% strikeout rate, and 6.5% walk rate over his first 8 1/3 innings and eight games as a big leaguer. A .222 BABIP has helped Martin avoid damage from a lot of the hard contact he has surrendered, but his 2.53 SIERA indicates that he has pitched well beyond that good fortune.
With Martin sidelined and Velasquez in DFA limbo, Rios and Barnes join the active roster as a pair of fresh arms for the beleaguered pen. This is Barnes’ second stint on the 26-man since his contract was initially selected earlier this month, and Barnes pitched in one game (allowing three earned runs in three innings) before being optioned to Triple-A.
Rios came to the organization on a minor league deal in January. The righty last appeared in the big leagues with the Athletics in 2023. He’s been in the Mets’ minor league system for the past two seasons. Rios has just over three years of MLB service time to his name. He’s spent parts of six big-league seasons with the Phillies, Pirates, Mariners, Red Sox, and A’s.
The 32-year-old Rios has a 6.32 career ERA and a checkered injury history. He was off to an uninspiring start to the Triple-A season, posting a 5.06 ERA across seven appearances with Iowa. Rios missed most of 2025 due to health issues. He delivered a solid minor league campaign in 2024, recording a 3.30 ERA with a strikeout per inning for Triple-A Syracuse.
Photo courtesy of Jim Rassol, Imagn Images
Cubs To Activate Phil Maton In Next Two Days
The Cubs bullpen may be getting one of their key offseason signings back from injury. According to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com, right-hander Phil Maton is currently with the team in Los Angeles for their series against the Dodgers. He could be activated tomorrow or Monday, per manager Craig Counsell.
Maton was one of several additions that the team made to the bullpen. Between Maton, Hunter Harvey, Caleb Thielbar, Hoby Milner, and Jacob Webb, Maton received the biggest contract at two years and $14.5MM. He was coming off a very strong 2025 season split between the Cardinals and Rangers. In 61 1/3 innings between the two clubs, Maton had a 2.79 ERA and solid peripherals, including a 23.4% K-BB rate. The latter figure was nearly double the league average, while his 1.5 fWAR put him among the top 15% of qualified relievers. He also excelled at managing contact, allowing just three home runs all season and inducing groundballs at an above-average 44.4% rate.
Chicago has not been able to benefit from Maton’s services thus far. He appeared in five games and allowed six earned runs in four innings through April 7. The club noticed that Maton’s velocity had declined with each game and suspected injury. Three days later, he landed on the 15-day injured list with right knee tendinitis. The right-hander was not expected to miss much time, and indeed, it looks like he’ll be able to rejoin the team without a minor league rehab assignment.
When he returns, Maton will upgrade a relief corps that is a weak spot on a team that is otherwise doing very well. Entering play today, the Cubs were tied for first in the NL Central with a 17-9 record. The offense has a 124 wRC+ that is second only to the Dodgers, while the starting rotation ranks seventh in the Majors with a 3.51 ERA. The bullpen has been tougher to evaluate. On the surface, their 3.40 combined ERA is a solid figure. However, the group’s 4.49 expected ERA suggests a bit of luck in that performance. Of course, all of this comes in a small sample size, so the team is probably keeping an eye on their bullpen rather than hitting the panic button this early in the season.
Looking ahead, the bullpen is going to see a bit of turnover in the next month or so. In addition to Maton, the team’s injured list currently includes Harvey, Thielbar, and Daniel Palencia. Thielbar just landed on the IL yesterday and may be the furthest off, although all three are expected back some time in May. That could spell demotions for Ryan Rolison and Corbin Martin. Journeyman Vince Velasquez was selected yesterday and could realistically lose his spot if he’s still on the roster at that point.
Photo courtesy of Patrick Gorski, Imagn Images
Cubs Select Nicky Lopez, Vince Velasquez
7:32 PM: Taylor McGregor further reports some additional moves for the Cubs: right-hander Vince Velasquez has been selected, and Caleb Thielbar was placed on the 15-day IL with a left hamstring strain. Additionally, Scott Kingery was designated for assignment to open an additional spot on the 40-man roster.
6:28 PM: The Chicago Cubs have made a 40-man roster move in advance of tonight’s clash against the Dodgers, adding infielder Nicky Lopez and transferring Porter Hodge to the 60-day IL, per Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network. Per the official player page, Scott Kingery has also been optioned to Triple-A Iowa.
Lopez, acquired yesterday from the Rockies, did not have to wait long for his reunion with the Cubs. Lopez made 14 appearances with the Northsiders last season (interesting enough, his first appearance came almost a year ago to the day). Now entering his seventh MLB season, Lopez has made a name for himself with solid glovework at multiple infield positions. The bulk of his work has come at 2B (2561 1/3 innings) and SS (2351 1/3 innings), though defensive metrics like DRS (-9) and FRV (-1) have soured on his glove at short to varying degrees in his last three seasons of work. Both metrics, however, look favorably on his work at the keystone (3 DRS/6 FRV) and the hot corner (5 DRS/4 FRV) since 2023.
The versatility will help manager Craig Counsell give the starters a day off and a lefty bat to play with in the lineup or off the bench. To be certain, Lopez doesn’t break the mold of a traditional, light-hitting utilityman. His career 73 wRC+ (100 is average) indicates he’s below-average at the plate, but to his credit, Lopez controls the zone relatively well with a low strikeout rate (14.3%). He hits for little power, and the speed he showcased in his Royals heyday (35/39 SB from 2021-2022) now clocks in closer to league average. Still, Lopez clearly made a good enough impression on the clubhouse and management last season to warrant a second bite of the apple.
Lopez will functionally be replacing Kingery on Counsell’s bench. Kingery has bounced around the league since his five-year run with the Phillies ended in 2022. Like Lopez, Kingery doesn’t offer much with the bat: the latter’s 72 wRC+ is nearly identical to that of his successor. But while Lopez offers some defensive upside, Kingery’s versatility is less notable. His glovework at second and third is more pedestrian (Kingery, to his credit, has graded better on the defensive metrics at short in a very small sample size).
Since Kingery has more than three years of service time and has been previously placed on outright waivers, he will have the option to decline the placement and opt for free agency if he goes unclaimed. However, doing so would forfeit his MLB salary ($1.25 MM), and given his recent MLB performance, he’s unlikely to match that by re-signing with another club. For the Cubs, there is a possible risk that another team claims Kingery, but given his salary commitment and performance, this largely amounts to a non-issue. Most likely, he’ll continue to ply his trade at Triple-A while awaiting another opportunity with the big league club.
Velasquez will be making a return to the MLB mound for the first time since a short (yet effective) stint with Pittsburgh in 2023. More recently, he pitched with the KBO Lotte Giants to poor results, with an 8.23 ERA in 35 innings. While there’s an element of misfortune there (ERA predictor xFIP gauged him closer to a 5-ERA performance), it probably wasn’t the results Velasquez was hoping for on his foray into Korea.
Regardless, the Cubs saw enough to sign him to a minor league deal before Spring Training. Most likely, Velasquez’s role will be to soak up some innings as the long reliever in the bullpen when the score goes sideways. It remains to be seen how effective he’ll be in his role, given his MLB layoff, but at the very least, he’s a once-proven MLB arm with ample experience.
Thielbar’s IL placement could strain the Chicago bullpen, given his excellent work last year. At the tender age of 38, Thielbar turned in arguably the best season of his career: a 2.64 ERA in 58 IP with 25 holds. While SIERA found him a little lucky based on his peripherals and batted balls, his 3.24 mark would still be a fine number for a back-end bullpen arm. The Cubs’ bullpen has done relatively well in the early going, with a top-10 ERA (SIERA sees them as more middle-of-the-pack), but losing a quality, high-leverage lefty alongside closer Daniel Palencia will be tough to navigate.
In the interim, the Cubs will have a few options at their disposal to close out games. Righty Ben Brown, operating exclusively in relief, has been excellent in 19 innings. He only has one hold and a blown save in high-leverage innings this year, but his performance makes him a clear standout for the later innings. Lefty Hoby Milner could also be an option: while he lacks the velocity of Brown, he has a longer track record of success, helping to bridge to the closer with 18 holds in 2025.
To make room on the 40-man, Hodge was moved to the 60-day IL following UCL surgery. Given that Hodge won’t make any further appearances in 2026, this move is largely a formality.
Rockies Trade Nicky Lopez To Cubs
The Rockies announced they’ve traded minor league infielder Nicky Lopez to the Cubs for cash. He was on a minor league contract and will not immediately occupy a 40-man roster spot for Chicago.
Lopez has been an organizational favorite of the Cubs as a depth infielder. He appeared in 14 MLB games for them last year between April and May. Lopez had also been with the club last spring on a minor league deal before being granted his release to pursue an MLB opportunity with the Angels. The Cubs waived him in late May but brought him back on a new minor league contract in August.
The Naperville, Illinois native signed with Colorado in December. He’s out to a nice start with Triple-A Albuquerque, batting .333 with a home run and a couple stolen bases over 15 games. Although the offense is surely inflated by playing in the Pacific Coast League, he’s showing his typically strong bat-to-ball ability while playing in the middle of the diamond.
Lopez is a lifetime .245/.310/.311 hitter in a little under 700 big league contests. He’s a quality defender at any of second base, third base, or shortstop. If the Cubs wanted to call him back up, he could replace Scott Kingery (who still has a minor league option) as the team’s utility infielder. Chicago would need to select Lopez onto the 40-man roster but essentially has a free roster spot with Porter Hodge a lock to move to the 60-day injured list after this week’s UCL surgery.
Cubs Notes: Assad, Palencia, Hodge
The Cubs are moving Javier Assad to the bullpen, manager Craig Counsell told reporters (including Jordan Bastian of MLB.com). He makes way in the rotation for Matthew Boyd, who was activated from the 15-day injured list to start tonight’s game against the Phillies.
Assad keeps his spot on the active roster for now, as southpaw Luke Little was optioned out in the corresponding move. The righty opened the year on optional assignment to Triple-A. Chicago recalled Assad when Boyd went down on April 6 with a biceps strain.
The 28-year-old Assad took three turns through the rotation, pitching quite well in two of those appearances. Assad worked 5 2/3 scoreless innings to beat the Rays in his season debut. He allowed only an MJ Melendez solo home run across 5 2/3 frames in Sunday’s 2-1 victory over the Mets. The intervening appearance was rough, as Philadelphia torched him for nine runs and a loss on April 13.
In other bullpen news, Counsell provided an update on injured closer Daniel Palencia. The Cubs placed him on the 15-day injured list last Friday. The team initially announced it as a left oblique strain. Further testing revealed that Palencia actually suffered a mild lat strain, relays Patrick Mooney of The Athletic.
Lat strains can lead to extended absences for pitchers, though this one isn’t expected to be serious. Palencia is a right-handed pitcher, so a left lat strain isn’t as concerning as one on the other side of his body would be. He’s likely to resume throwing this week and could be reinstated around two weeks from now. Palencia is eligible to return next Wednesday, and while he’s unlikely to be ready quite that soon, he’ll probably be back shortly after a minimal stay. Caleb Thielbar has picked up Chicago’s two saves since Palencia landed on the shelf.
The Cubs also announced that Porter Hodge underwent his previously reported UCL surgery this week. The team indicated it’ll be a 12-14 month recovery, as he required a Tommy John ligament reconstruction and the internal brace procedure. He’ll inevitably move to the 60-day injured list once the Cubs need a 40-man roster spot. Hodge will begin next season on the injured list as well, probably requiring another 60-day IL stint.
Cubs Re-Sign Dylan Carlson To Minor League Deal
The Cubs re-signed outfielder Dylan Carlson to a minor league contract after he was designated for assignment and elected free agency last week. The team never formally announced it, but Carlson’s deal is reflected on the MLB.com transaction log and he suited up for the team’s Triple-A Iowa club yesterday. Carlson is represented by ALIGND Sports.
Carlson, 27, went hitless in four plate appearances with the Cubs before being cut from the big league roster. He’d signed a minor league contract in free agency over the winter and made the club this spring (albeit at least in part due to an injury to right fielder Seiya Suzuki).
A former first-round pick who was once one of the sport’s top-10 overall prospects, the switch-hitting Carlson had a promising beginning to his career with the division-rival Cardinals. His MLB debut as a 21-year-old during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season wasn’t especially eye-catching, but Carlson played 149 games for St. Louis in 2021 and slashed .266/.343/.437 with 18 homers, 31 doubles, four triples, a pair of steals and a 9.2% walk rate. His 24.6% strikeout rate was a bit high, but it was a strong full-season debut for a player who was still just 22.
That form has never resurfaced. Carlson hit .236/.316/.380 the following season and has seen his bat decline further in subsequent years. Since that intriguing 2021 campaign, he’s totaled 1253 MLB plate appearances and posted an anemic .220/.302/.339 batting line — about 17% worse than league-average, by measure of wRC+. Along the way, he’s bounced from the Cardinals, to the Rays, to the Orioles and now the Cubs, seeing his role reduced at each stop.
Back with the Cubs now, Carlson will provide some depth in the upper minors. Chicago’s roster has been decimated by injury, but nearly all of the health problems for the Cubs have been on the pitching side of things. With Suzuki back in right field, the Cubs’ outfield includes him, Ian Happ and Pete Crow-Armstrong. Michael Conforto, Scott Kingery and Matt Shaw are all in the mix for occasional outfield reps as well.
Carlson could get another look in the event of an injury, but former top prospect Kevin Alcantara and waiver pickup Justin Dean are both already on the 40-man roster, potentially putting them ahead on the depth chart. Both Alcantara and Dean have fanned in more than 35% of their minor league plate appearances, but Alcantara has also ripped eight homers and is slugging north of .600.