Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Cubs Announce Official 26-Man Opening Day Roster After Several Moves

Originally posted on Chicago Cubs on SI
By Michael Brauner | Last updated Mar 25, 2026 1:05 PM ET

The Chicago Cubs have put the finishing touches on their roster to begin the season ahead of Opening Day at Wrigley Field, making several expected transactions that locked things in.

By selecting the contract of Michael Conforto for the outfield and Scott Kingery in the infield, one day after sending Kevin Alcantara back to Triple-A, Chicago locked in the final spots while also placing Seiya Suzuki onto the 15-day injured list, as expected.

Porter Hodge and Jordan Wicks were also each placed on the 15-day IL while Justin Steele was placed on the 60-day IL, delaying his return to the mound until likely June. Here is the team's official Opening Day 26-man roster.

Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Cubs official Opening Day roster

Left-Handed Pitchers (4) - Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, Hoby Milner, Caleb Thielbar

Right-Handed Pitchers (9) - Edward Cabrera, Ben Brown, Hunter Harvey, Cade Horton, Phil Maton, Daniel Palencia, Colin Rea, Jameson Taillon, Jacob Webb

Catchers (3) - Miguel Amaya, Carson Kelly, Moises Ballesteros

Infielders (6) - Alex Bregman, Michael Busch, Nico Hoerner, Matt Shaw, Dansby Swanson, Scott Kingery

Outfielders (4) - Pete Crow-Armstrong, Michael Conforto, Dylan Carlson, Ian Happ

Cubs ready for Opening Day vs Nationals

Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Coming off a very exciting offseason, fans are as excited for Opening Day as they have been for a season to begin in a very long time, after they have fallen short for the last decade since the World Series title in 2016. The hope, of course, is that all has changed after a deep playoff run and an offseason that demonstrated desperation to get it done now with a window open.

Chicago has proven to be serious about winning big and winning now, and with the first game taking place in what will be a chilly Wrigley Field for the first time in years, fans will get the first look at the product Jed Hoyer has put together this winter.

Suzuki's return is going to present some difficult circumstances regarding who gets sent down, but the first couple of weeks could be fairly telling about who it may be. Guys like Carlson and Conforto will be under a very close microscope as the team evaluates who the bigger contributor could be at this point.

Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Regardless of who is still on the field when Suzuki does return, it's officially baseball season in the Windy City, and fans are absolutely buzzing with anticipation. With Matthew Boyd is taking the hill tomorrow, and fans are going to be treated to what should be a great matchup between the Cubs and Nationals.

This article first appeared on Chicago Cubs on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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