Things haven't gone the Chicago Cubs' way lately. Not only have the Milwaukee Brewers won seemingly every day for months now, but the team's offense has dried up since the All-Star break. There are reasons to believe the Cubs will break out of their funk, but with the team now a fill six games back of first-place Milwaukee, whether they can win the NL Central division remains to be seen.
What's abundantly clear, though, is that changes must be made on their active roster sooner rather than later. Trades won't be occurring with the deadline in the rear-view mirror, but that shouldn't stop the Cubs from making changes by the time September rolls around.
There's a good chance that when September begins, these four players won't be on the active roster.
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4) Jon Berti, INF/OF
Jon Berti signed a one-year deal to join the Cubs this past offseason, and has been on the team's roster all year. He hasn't done much, appearing in just 51 games and recording 100 plate appearances overall, but his playing time has dried up even more lately. In fact, Berti has not started a game in nearly a month, and he's appeared in a total of six games while stepping up to the plate four times in that span.
With Matt Shaw heating up and Willi Castro now on the team, Berti's role is essentially to be a pinch-runner on certain occasions. While his track record would suggest he's an ideal fit for that role, Berti was caught stealing in a huge spot on Sunday, and might not be the best man for the job anymore.
Jon Berti was called out by THIS much in a one-run game trying to steal 2nd.
— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) August 11, 2025
Nico Hoerner ripped a single that likely would’ve tied the game on the next pitch.
The Cubs lost and are now 6 games back of the Brewers in the NL Central. pic.twitter.com/2YtdlQHj9A
Berti has stolen just four bases in seven tries since the start of May, and he's only ranked in the 78th percentile in sprint speed according to Baseball Savant. Berti isn't slow in a general sense, but he had ranked in the 91st percentile or higher in the previous seven seasons of his career, and being in the 78th percentile as a designated runner is fairly underwhelming. He can play several positions, and being on an MLB contract will likely boost his odds when it comes to staying, but it shouldn't. The Cubs should find an upgrade, and doing so shouldn't be difficult.
3) Nate Pearson, relief pitcher
Down the stretch of the 2024 campaign, it looked as if the Cubs' gamble on Nate Pearson had paid off, as he pitched extremely well for Chicago. Unfortunately, he got off to a brutal start to this season and has spent most of the campaign pitching for Triple-A Iowa. Pearson was recalled in early August and has looked pretty good in his two appearances during this stint, but he isn't long for the big-league roster for a couple of reasons.
First and foremost, the Cubs expect to get both Jameson Taillon and Javier Assad back sometime in August. If and when those pitchers return, corresponding moves will have to be made for the Cubs' active roster to be legal.
Second, Pearson is one of two relievers in this Cubs bullpen to have options; Daniel Palencia is the other. The Cubs could choose to DFA a guy like Ryan Brasier who has allowed an earned run or more in four of his last five outings, but optioning Pearson instead not only keeps the more proven reliever at the MLB level, but also preserves Chicago's bullpen depth.
Pearson will likely find his way back to the Majors, especially in September when the active roster is expanded, but he'll get sent down sometime before the calendar flips.
2) Reese McGuire, catcher
This one is a bit painful. Reese McGuire doesn't exactly deserve to get booted off the active roster, as he's filled in admirably for the injured Miguel Amaya as the Cubs' backup catcher. However, Amaya is expected to return in August, and it's extremely unlikely the Cubs will carry three catchers.
This becomes more of a possibility in September when the Cubs will carry an additional position player, but by then, are we sure McGuire will be in the organization? McGuire would have to clear waivers to get sent down, and while his .709 OPS isn't going to set the world on fire, he's been rock-solid offensively, especially for a catcher. He'd be an upgrade for several teams behind the dish.
It's never ideal to lose depth, but assuming Amaya and Carson Kelly can stay healthy the rest of the way, it's not as if the Cubs have a need for McGuire anyway.
1) Ben Brown, starting pitcher
The Cubs hoped Ben Brown would solidify himself as part of the team's current and future rotation plans this season, but that just hasn't happened. The right-hander has a 6.04 ERA in 19 appearances (15 starts) and has still yet to establish a third pitch to go along with his fastball and knuckle curve. The talent is there, as we've seen in spurts, but the consistency is not, and that's been frustrating for a team trying to compete.
Brown has been on the active roster for much of the year mainly because of the team's rotation need amid a string of injuries, but when Taillon and Assad come back, there won't be a need for Brown. Once one of them comes back, there's a really good chance Brown is sent back down to Triple-A.
It's entirely possible the Cubs choose to bring Brown up in September as a reliever — and he might be worth a look there — but his current big-league clock is ticking and is going to run out momentarily.