5 Cubs players who potentially won’t be on the roster by May 1
By Tim Boyle
These 5 members of the Chicago Cubs roster are in danger of losing their roster spot by May 1 or maybe even earlier depending on how they perform.
Every general manager in baseball will be faced with a decision on May 1; which two players will they eliminate from their roster? Rosters go from 28 to 26 and this means two members of the Chicago Cubs will see their time with the club end—even if only temporarily.
The Cubs have a roster of young guys and veterans. At their best, they look like they could play around .500 and maybe play spoiler. Their roster leaves a lot to be desired but they do have some building blocks already in place for some better days ahead.
Those bigger decisions will have to wait. First, the Cubs will need to decide which two players to demote. By May 1, these five could be headed down to the farm or even out of the organization.
The Cubs are definitely sending Alfonso Rivas back to the minors by May 1
Alfonso Rivas is a left-handed-hitting 25-year-old presently on the Cubs roster mostly because they have the room for an extra bat. Acquired by the club in January of 2020 in the Tony Kemp deal, Rivas has been an interesting corner first baseman/corner outfielder. Usually a job reserved for power-hitters, Rivas is much different.
Down in triple-A last year, Rivas hit .284/.405/.411 with only 4 home runs in 237 plate appearances. He got a sip of coffee with the Cubs where he continued to do similar things. In his 49 plate appearances with them, Rivas was a .318/.388/.409 hitter.
It will be interesting to see what the Cubs have planned for him. Light-hitting first basemen aren’t the most desirable. Rivas’ flexibility to also play the corner outfield spots may be his best bet to stick around in the big leagues if his destiny has him in a part-time role.
Whatever the Cubs hope to get from him, it won’t happen in May. Rivas is one of the few more minor role-players on the team with minor league options. Rather than DFA someone else and risk losing him, it’s much easier to demote Rivas and see if he can win his way back onto the roster or possibly have someone else lose their job.
Furthering the case for Rivas to get sent down to the minors: the Cubs should hopefully have a few players coming off the IL by then.