The Chicago Cubs have just a handful of days left until their official first game of the 2025 MLB Season. The Cubs have big tasks ahead of them when they take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2025 Tokyo Series. They still must address the remainder of Spring training preparations. Part of that is cutting the roster down to 40 players. On Friday, the Cubs are getting even closer to finalizing their roster by sending 11 players to either their Triple-A team or the minor-league camp.
Right-handed pitcher Ethan Roberts and left-handed pitcher Luke Little are the players down to the Triple-A Iowa level. Roberts had a great shot of securing a 40-man going into Spring training after an impressive year last season. He played 21 games for the Cubs last season, earning an ERA of 3.71. Roberts hasn’t stood out too much during the Spring training games as he has played four innings in four games, accounting for an ERA of 6.75. At 6-8, Little is an impressive pitcher. Outside of his size, Little has a solid delivery of the ball. In his second stint in the majors last year, Little played 30 games and 26 innings for the Cubs. He accounted for an ERA of 3.46. While he delivered 28 strikeouts, he did allow 15 hits and 11 runs. Roberts and Little have great opportunities to join the Cubs’ 40-man roster at some point early in the season. Right-handed pitchers Phil Bickford, Chris Flexen, Ben Heller, Brooks Kriske, and Trevor Richards, infielder Jonathon Long, infielder James Triantos, outfielder Greg Allen, and outfielder Christian Franklin all are returning to minor-league camp spots.
