Opening Day roster: Cubs decide final bench and bullpen spots

Luke Little throws an inning during a spring training game. He was notified Sunday that he'd made the 2024 Opening Day roster. — Luke Little throws an inning during a spring training game. He was notified Sunday that he’d made the 2024 Opening Day roster.

MESA, Ariz. — Cubs manager Craig Counsell wasn’t waiting in the dugout to give rookie left-hander Luke Little a customary handshake when he came off the field Sunday. And after talking with the pitching coaches about his one-hit inning against the Mariners, Little was told Counsell wanted to see him.

‘‘I was like, ‘This is either going to be good or bad,’ ’’ Little recounted Monday. ‘‘I was hoping it was going to be good because it’s during a game.’’

It was, indeed. Little, a 6-8, hard-throwing 23-year-old, had made the Opening Day roster.

‘‘It’s a good-sized smile,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘I mean, good-sized, man. Good-sized smile.’’

The Cubs rounded out their Opening Day roster with a handful of bench players and relievers, entering a pair of exhibition games against the Cardinals this week with their group of 26 essentially set.

The Cubs are optioning outfielder Alexander Canario and right-hander Hayden Wesneski to Triple-A Iowa to begin the season, Counsell said. Little and right-hander Jose Cuas claimed the last two bullpen spots. Utility player Miles Mastrobuoni and third baseman Nick Madrigal seized the final bench spots.

‘‘Luke had a really good spring,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘And I think as much as any reliever on our team, any pitcher in the spring, showed uncomfortableness from hitters. Luke is young and Luke is inexperienced, but when you see that from major-league hitters, we all take note of it.’’

Wesneski is set to stretch out to a starter’s workload in Triple-A, but when he’s recalled at some point this season, it could be as a starter or reliever.

‘‘He’s disappointed,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘And that’s understandable — and rightfully so. He wants to pitch good, he wants to be a major-leaguer and he’s had success in the big leagues. And you get delivered some bad news, but you can’t stop that goal of continuing to try to get better.’’

After a strained hamstring sidelined him for almost three weeks, Madrigal avoided a stint on the injured list. He returned to game action Sunday.

‘‘When we were down to figuring out that whole decision, there’s a role for Nick to play on the team,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘And I was struggling finding at-bats for Canario, just how we’re situated right now.’’

Madrigal is a contact hitter. And with Garrett Cooper, another big right-handed hitter, already on the team, there would be fewer spots to get Canario into the lineup or get him pinch-hit opportunities.

‘‘He showed me he can be a good major-league player,’’ Counsell said of Canario. ‘‘He’s a very prepared kid. I love that about him. For 23 years old, he is on game situations, baserunning, just tough at-bats, prepared for his at bats. There was a lot of good out of what he did this spring.’’

Mastrobuoni, who can play pretty much any position but first base, catcher and pitcher, gives the Cubs depth all over the field.

‘‘The safety of the positional versatility is really nice to have,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘It lets you be more aggressive at points of the game with other kinds of decisions because he can really, if you get in a bind, kind of do anything.’’

The roster is bound to fluctuate throughout the season, especially on the pitching side. But a spot on the season-opening roster also means taking part in the ceremony and tradition of Opening Day.

‘‘It feels like we’re all ready to go north,’’ president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. ‘‘That’s a good feeling. Sometimes you just want it to continue while you get healthy. And it feels like we’re in a good place, and it’s time to sort of start the marathon.’’

The Cubs don’t have to submit their Opening Day roster yet. But barring an injury or a waiver claim, this should be their roster to begin the 2024 season: