Projecting the Cubs' 26-Man Playoff Roster for the NL Wild Card Series

Who will the Chicago Cubs bring to San Diego later this week?

Sep 27, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Chicago Cubs teammates celebrate at the end of the game against Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Pablo Robles-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Well, it’s official. 

Game 162 is done and dusted, and the playoff matchups are set. The Cubs, who locked up the second Wild Card spot late Saturday night, will now head to San Diego to begin a three-game series against the Padres at Petco Park. Game 1 is slated for Sept. 29 at 9 p.m. CT. 

Before the first pitch on Tuesday, both teams will have to set their 26-man rosters for the series. Here’s our prediction for how the Cubs’ group could play out!

Cubs Wild Card Roster Prediction

Sep 24, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs left fielder Ian Happ (8), center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (4) and right fielder Seiya Suzuki (27) hug after the game against the Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Left-handed pitchers (5)

• Matthew Boyd 

• Shota Imanaga

• David Peterson

• Ryan Rolison 

• Caleb Thielbar

Right-handed pitchers (7)

• Kevin Gausman

• Clay Holmes 

• Javier Assad 

• Daniel Palencia 

• Ryan Zeferjahn

• Jacob Webb

• Colin Rea 

Even though Shota Imanaga started Sunday’s finale against the Boston Red Sox, he was done after the first inning and threw just 12 pitches. That should keep him fresh and available, though it’s not clear that he’ll be tapped as a starter. 

The Cubs will likely keep last year’s recipe and go with Matthew Boyd for Game 1, then turn to Kevin Gausman for Game 2, if he’s good to go after tweaking his shoulder while making an acrobatic tag during his start on Wednesday. If not, Clay Holmes could go in Game 2 and David Peterson in a potential Game 3. 

Deadline acquisition Braxton Garrett, who made his very first big-league appearance for the Cubs on Sunday, was the bullpen’s stopgap hero. He tossed five innings, throwing 70 pitches and allowing just a run on four hits.

Garrett’s heroics paved the way for Jacob Webb (10 pitches) and Colin Rea (20) to do minimal work on the mound. Webb and Rea should be good to go for the playoffs. 

Though it seemed like it could be an option down the back stretch of the season, Justin Steele never ended up making a regular-season appearance for the Cubs in 2026. For that reason, it seems unlikely that he’ll take up a playoff roster spot. 

Javier Assad threw 35 pitches on Friday and Aaron Civale threw 38, but Civale seems like the odd man out here because he’s at 68 pitches over the last six days. The fact that the Cubs didn’t use Assad in Game 162 (they did last year) points to him being available against the Padres. 

The last mystery is whether or not Edward Cabrera will return for the postseason. The Cubs placed him on the family bereavement list ahead of the Red Sox series. If one thing is for sure, his performance on the mound this season, both as a starter and relief arm, has raised some major red flags.

Catchers (2)

• Carson Kelly

• Miguel Amaya

Infielders (6)

• Michael Busch

• Nico Hoerner 

• Dansby Swanson

• Alex Bregman 

• Pedro Ramirez 

• Gabriel Arias

Outfielders (6)

• Pete Crow-Armstrong

• Seiya Suzuki

• Ian Happ

• Matt Shaw 

• Tyrone Taylor

• Michael Conforto

This group is going to be a lot more straightforward to predict than the pitchers. The main change from last year’s roster is that they’re no longer carrying three catchers (so long, Reese McGuire), so that opens up a spot for another infielder or outfielder. That could likely go to utilityman Gabriel Arias, who relieved Michael Busch at first base on Sunday and racked up an RBI sac fly.

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