Cubs Announce Official 26-Man Roster For Opening Day

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The Chicago Cubs have put the finishing touches on their roster to begin the season ahead of Opening Day at Wrigley Field, making several expected transactions that locked things in.
By selecting the contract of Michael Conforto for the outfield and Scott Kingery in the infield, one day after sending Kevin Alcantara back to Triple-A, Chicago locked in the final spots while also placing Seiya Suzuki onto the 15-day injured list, as expected.
Porter Hodge and Jordan Wicks were also each placed on the 15-day IL while Justin Steele was placed on the 60-day IL, delaying his return to the mound until likely June. Here is the team's official Opening Day 26-man roster.

Cubs official Opening Day roster
Left-Handed Pitchers (4) - Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, Hoby Milner, Caleb Thielbar
Right-Handed Pitchers (9) - Edward Cabrera, Ben Brown, Hunter Harvey, Cade Horton, Phil Maton, Daniel Palencia, Colin Rea, Jameson Taillon, Jacob Webb
Catchers (3) - Miguel Amaya, Carson Kelly, Moises Ballesteros
Infielders (6) - Alex Bregman, Michael Busch, Nico Hoerner, Matt Shaw, Dansby Swanson, Scott Kingery
Outfielders (4) - Pete Crow-Armstrong, Michael Conforto, Dylan Carlson, Ian Happ
Cubs ready for Opening Day vs Nationals

Coming off a very exciting offseason, fans are as excited for Opening Day as they have been for a season to begin in a very long time, after they have fallen short for the last decade since the World Series title in 2016. The hope, of course, is that all has changed after a deep playoff run and an offseason that demonstrated desperation to get it done now with a window open.
Chicago has proven to be serious about winning big and winning now, and with the first game taking place in what will be a chilly Wrigley Field for the first time in years, fans will get the first look at the product Jed Hoyer has put together this winter.
Suzuki's return is going to present some difficult circumstances regarding who gets sent down, but the first couple of weeks could be fairly telling about who it may be. Guys like Carlson and Conforto will be under a very close microscope as the team evaluates who the bigger contributor could be at this point.

Regardless of who is still on the field when Suzuki does return, it's officially baseball season in the Windy City, and fans are absolutely buzzing with anticipation. With Matthew Boyd is taking the hill tomorrow, and fans are going to be treated to what should be a great matchup between the Cubs and Nationals.

Michael Brauner is a 2022 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Sports Media. He covers various MLB teams across the On SI network and you can also find his work on Yellowhammer News covering the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers as well as on the radio producing and co-hosting 'The Opening Kickoff' every weekday morning on 105.5 WNSP FM in Mobile, Alabama.