Cubs Notes: Game Day Lineup Revealed, PCA Jabs Dodgers Fans, Imanaga's Velocity & More

Spring Training is in full swing with the first game of the Cactus League taking place today at Sloan Park against the White Sox.

The roster has undergone a significant transformation over the winter, and many players will be taking the field for their first time in a Cubs uniform. Jameson Taillon has been tipped to take the mound for the 2:05 p.m. CT start time, and Craig Counsell revealed yesterday that Seiya Suzuki will start in center field.

The Cubs lineup for today's game:

1B - Jonathon Long
3B - Alex Bregman
CF - Seiya Suzuki
C - Miguel Amaya
RF - Dylan Carlson
LF - Chas McCormick
2B - Pedro Ramirez
DH - BJ Murray Jr
SS - Scott Kingery

The game will be available on Marquee Sports Network (TV) and 104.3 The Score (Radio). Here's a full list of how to watch the Cubs' preseason games.

Here are the latest Cubs stories to catch up on.

Cubs notes

Cubs Star Pete Crow-Armstrong Takes Shot at Dodgers Fans - Pete Crow-Armstrong has been winning over fans in the offseason, and in a recent interview for Chicago Magazine, the young superstar praised the fanbase while taking a shot at another.

"They give a s---," Crow-Armstrong said of Cubs fans. "They aren't just baseball fans who go to the game like Dodgers fans to take pictures or whatever. They are paying attention. They care."

Craig Counsell Shares Exciting Update on Cubs' Shota Imanaga - After a down year in 2025, Shota Imanaga is looking to make a comeback. And manager Craig Counsell delivered some good news during the week. He said that Imanaga's hamstring injury was likely the cause of his bad mechanics, and now that he's fully healed, his velocity is back up.

Counsell told us today in Mesa that Shota Imanaga’s throwing his fastball harder, is mostly a product of his hamstring being healthy. Counsell believes the injury created some bad mechanical issues while the pitcher compensated for the injury.
— Bruce Levine (@MLBBruceLevine) February 19, 2026

Cubs Shortstop Dansby Swanson Reveals New Approach at the Plate - Dansby Swanson is looking to get his numbers up at the plate, and to do so, is making some changes. “I feel like I just haven’t been what I’ve wanted to be over the last couple of years,” Swanson said.

Hitting coach Dustin Kelly added more details on what they plan to do, saying, “Really, just keeping him athletic. Trying not to get too rigid or stuck in a certain way of doing it. You watch him play shortstop and see how he moves and flows and how everything falls into place. That’s kind of the approach we’re taking."

Cubs’ Underwhelming Offseason Grade Is Way Off After Busy Winter - ESPN recently released offseason grades for all of MLB, giving the Cubs an underwhelming B. We've found that hard to agree with, given the team is in the best spot they've been heading into a season in the last decade.

While the loss of Kyle Tucker is a factor, additions such as Alex Bregman, Edward Cabrera, and others surely outweigh the loss.

Cubs Young Pitching Prospect Already Turning Heads in Spring Ahead of Debut - Pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins won't break into the team out of camp, but he's impressing the staff nonetheless, and pitching coach Tommy Hottovy has praised what he's seen from the youngster so far.

“For the year he had and where he’s been trending and to be on the radar, he’s definitely in that group of guys we’re going to keep our eye on. But he’s also a guy we don’t feel like we need to rush because we are going to have a lot of those others (among our depth). But I’d love to see him force his way into that conversation."

Former Top Prospect Owen Caissie Takes Subtle Jab at Cubs After Trade - Former top prospect Owen Caissie raised some eyebrows this week when he commented on the differences between the Marlins and Cubs organizations. Caissie was traded away for up-and-coming pitcher Edward Cabrera in early January.

"Not to say the Cubs don't compete, but the Marlins really pride themselves on the compete aspect in practice from what I've seen so far," Caissie said. "They really pride themselves on the little things, not saying the Cubs don't, but it's really just a brand new perspective on how to go about things here and I'm pretty excited to learn more from all the guys."

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