The Chicago Cubs 31-man travel roster for Japan is set. Top prospect Matt Shaw, who still needs to be placed on the 40-man roster, is making the trip. On the flip side, their opponent, the Los Angeles Dodgers, are leaving one of their key free agent signings behind.
Who is on the Chicago Cubs 31-man travel roster to Japan?
While only 26 players can be active during the Cubs and Dodgers two games series, 31 are traveling overseas with the remaining five being taxi squad players. According to Maddie Lee, Chicago’s expected travel roster includes:
- Pitchers: Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon, Matthew Boyd, Jordan Wicks, Ben Brown, Colin Rea, Ryan Pressly, Porter Hodge, Ryan Brasier, Caleb Thielbar, Eli Morgan, Nate Pearson, Julian Merryweather, Tyson Miller, Daniel Palencia, and Brad Keller.
- Position players: Miguel Amaya Carson Kelly, Reese McGuire, Michael Busch, Jon Berti, Dansby Swanson, Matt Shaw, Justin Turner, Vidal Brujan, Gage Workman, Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Kyle Tucker, and Seiya Suzuki.
One key Los Angeles Dodgers free agent signing was left off their travel roster
This off-season, the Dodgers turned heads by signing an incredible amount of free agents while also deferring a lot of money into the future. Key free agent signings include Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, Teoscar Hernandez, Tanner Scott, Kirby Yates, and Hyesong Kim. Of this group, Korean standout infielder Kim signed for three years and $12.5 million, but is being left off the travel roster and is starting the regular season in the minor leagues.
While Kim will play a role on the Dodgers big league roster at some point, Tommy Edman is expected to start at second base while in Japan with Enrique Hernandez backing him up.
Due to the Cubs and Dodgers regular season schedule, which outside of March 18 and 19 consists of five games during the month of April, it’s possible that Chicago may not see Kim at all in 2025.
Chicago Cubs: Will the lack of one key ingredient be the Cubs’ 2025 downfall?
Read MoreFor More Great Chicago Sports Content
Get the latest Chicago sports news, analysis, and breaking stories on the Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks, Cubs, White Sox, Sky, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News, so you never miss a story on your favorite Chicago teams.
Follow us on Twitter at @chicitysports23 for more great content. We appreciate you taking time to read our articles. To interact more with our community and keep up to date on the latest in Chicago sports news, JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP by CLICKING HERE
