Chicago Cubs Opening Day Roster Implications: Kevin Alcántara Optioned to Triple-A
Chicago Cubs outfield prospect Kevin Alcántara was one of the finalists to grab a bench spot on the team’s Opening Day roster, but he’s now officially out of the mix. According to the Cubs’ transactions page, Alcántara has been optioned to Triple-A Iowa.
Now that the Cubs have sent Alcántara to the minors, the bench picture becomes much clearer. Michael Conforto has already been confirmed on the Opening Day roster, as Seiya Suzuki will begin the regular season on the 10-day injured list. So, that’s one slot that was filled, and soon another free agent outfielder who was brought in to compete in spring training will be added to the roster as well.
Dylan Carlson seems like a slam dunk to be on the Opening Day roster, essentially beating out Alcántara. That leaves one final bench spot open, which will come down to how much the Cubs like Scott Kingery, and if they can find anyone better from outside the organization before Thursday.
The Cubs already hinted at adding another infielder before Opening Day this past weekend. Matt Shaw won’t be the only backup infielder to begin the regular season, and as things currently stand, it appears as though Kingery may end up as the last bench player. The former Philadelphia Phillies prospect fizzled out after 2019, but despite being 31-years-old, Kingery has minor league options remaining, and he does provide defensive flexibility with his ability to play all around the infield.
In Patrick Mooney’s latest projection, Kingery does make the Opening Day roster as the fourth bench bat.
Projected 2026 Opening Day Cubs Roster
The Cubs start the 2026 regular season at home against the Washington Nationals. Their 26-man roster will most likely look like this:
Positions Players
Carson Kelly, Miguel Amaya, Moises Ballesteros
Michael Busch, Nico Hoerner, Dansby Swanson, Alex Bregman, Matt Shaw, Scott Kingery
Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Michael Conforto, Dylan Carlson
Pitchers
Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton, Shōta Imanaga, Edward Cabrera, Jameson Taillon
Ben Brown, Colin Rea, Jacob Webb, Hoby Milner, Caleb Thielbar, Hunter Harvey, Phil Maton, Daniel Palencia
So, Kingery will either be the 26th man on the roster or the Cubs will bring in another infielder, either by claiming a player on waivers or by making a minor trade to upgrade that part of the roster.