3 Chicago Cubs who won't be on the roster by Sept. 1 and why

What a disastrous season this has been for the Chicago Cubs. They've played a bit better over the last week, highlighted by a fun series win that could wind up impacting the St. Louis Cardinals' postseason hopes in a big way, but they're still 56-60 on the year. They're in last place in the NL Central, played for 2025 at the trade deadline, and have virtually no realistic shot to make the postseason.

The postseason might not be in the cards this season, but there's still plenty for Cubs fans to watch for. Not only can they watch Shota Imanaga and Justin Steele pitch like one of the best rotation duos in the National League every five days, but they can look towards the future by keeping a close eye on younger players.

Pete Crow-Armstrong might not be a star yet, but he has a five-game hitting streak and continues to improve offensively. Michael Busch is looking more and more like an awesome acquisition. Even Porter Hodge has impressed in relief.

What makes the stretch run even more exciting for Cubs fans is the possibility that even more young players get promoted to the majors. That possibility and injured players making their returns, makes it likely that the Cubs roster will have a different look come September 1.

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3) Ethan Roberts won't have a spot on the Cubs roster as their injured pitchers make returns from the IL

Ben Brown, Jordan Wicks, Keegan Thompson, and Hayden Wesneski are four Cubs pitchers currently on the IL who are slated to return sometime in mid-to-late August. Perhaps all four won't make it back to the majors by then, but at least one of them presumably will. If that's the case, sending Ethan Roberts down is the easy solution.

As of now, the Cubs have three option-able relievers. Porter Hodge is one of them, but with how good he's looked and how young he is the Cubs have no reason to send him down. Nate Pearson is another, but the Cubs just traded for him. They'll likely want to see him on their active roster for at least the remainder of this season. Ethan Roberts is the third, making him the easiest to demote.

This isn't exactly fair, considering the fact that he has allowed just one earned run in eight innings of work at the MLB level this season, but he has options and isn't seen as a major part of their future. The Cubs have little reason to keep him up in the majors when other pitchers return.

2) It wouldn't be surprising to see a younger player take David Bote's spot on the Cubs roster

The Cubs recently promoted three of their top prospects Matt Shaw, James Triantos, and Kevin Alcantara to Triple-A Iowa. Other exciting prospects like Owen Caissie and Moises Ballesteros are in Triple-A as well. Chances are, the Cubs will want to see at least one of those guys at the MLB level in September. They can maintain their rookie eligibility for 2025, and can see if they're ready to start next season in the majors.

Assuming the Cubs do promote one of them, someone else would have to go down. David Bote, a player who is not part of their future and who can be optioned, feels like the simple solution.

Again, this one might not be fair. Bote is slashing .326/.356/.419 in his 45 MLB plate appearances this season, and he has been especially formidable against left-handed pitching. The argument against him, though, is that he's 31 years old and will be a free agent after the year when the Cubs reject his $7 million club option.

It's been fun seeing Bote resurface at the MLB level after he did not play a single game with the Cubs last season, but having a younger player who can be part of the team's future makes more sense for the organization right now.

1) The Cubs have no reason to keep Hector Neris by Sept. 1 barring a massive shift in the standings

It might feel as if the Cubs' season is over now, and it probably is, but they do still have slim odds to make the postseason, and a fairly easy schedule to finish the month of August. It's unlikely that the Cubs go on a run, but not completely impossible, especially if they play up to their potential. Remember, the only piece that they really sold was Mark Leiter Jr., and they acquired Isaac Paredes.

With that being said, though, barring this unlikely run, the Cubs have no reason to hold onto Hector Neris for one main reason.

Neris signed a one-year deal worth $9 million to join the Cubs this past offseason. Added to the deal was a second-year club option worth another $9 million. That club option turns into a player option if the right-hander appears in 60 games or has 45 games finished, which is a fun wrinkle. As of this writing, he's at 42 appearances and 30 games finished.

Neris hasn't been abysmal, but he also hasn't been worth close to what the Cubs gave him. Chances are, Chicago won't want to keep the 35-year-old at a $9 million figure in 2025. Releasing him by the end of August assuming that they're out of it would prevent that club option from turning into a player option, thus ensuring that Neris won't be back in 2025, at least at that number.

It'd be unfortunate for Neris, but a wise business move for Chicago to make, assuming they have no realistic shot at making the postseason.