Spring Temperature Check: Who's Hot and Who's Cold in Cubs Camp? (Feb 20-23)

[Paul Niemiec]

Image courtesy of © Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Spring training 2026 is officially underway. Even fanbases of teams that lost 100+ games last season have a reason for their blind optimism: it's a new calendar year, and every team has the same record. One thing to remember is that spring training means virtually nothing, and success does not translate over to the regular season. The stars and consistent role players use this time to get loose and hang out with the boys, while playing sparingly to avoid a potential injury. 

The most exciting part of spring training, besides baseball being back in general, is getting to watch top prospects and fringe roster players compete for a spot on the team. Whether it be for a starting job or a spot on the end of the bench, these players without a clear path to playing time are going to take this next month very seriously.

At North Side Baseball, we will hold a bi-weekly check-in to see who is hot, who is not, and who might be close to earning a spot on the roster. While the Cubs’ starting lineup is set, there’s a bench spot or two up for grabs. Jed’s bargain bin bullpen approach has not changed for 2026, so it's going to be fun to see who makes the cut for Opening Day. 

As of February 24th, the Cubs are 1-3, losing to the White Sox, Rangers, and Giants while beating the Royals. Let's take a look at some highlights (and lowlights) over the first 4 games. It's worth mentioning that early in Spring Training, a ton of playing time goes to NRIs, so we haven’t seen much action from the studs yet.

Who's Hot? 🔥

OF Brett Bateman

The 23-year-old is a short, scrappy, left-handed outfielder who ranked as the team’s #19 prospect prior to 2025, per MLB.com. While Bateman will never amount to much of a slugger, he is looking to carve out a role where he can use his speed and ability to put the ball in play in order to put opposing defenses in awkward situations. He has played in all four games so far, and has three singles in seven at-bats, while drawing three walks as well. There is a wide open competition for not one, but potentially two bench outfield spots, and Bateman is proving himself worthy for consideration, even if he is not on the 40-man roster.

INF Pedro Ramirez

Prospects are being called up earlier and earlier, a league-wide phenomenon. MLB.com projects the 21-year-old Ramirez to make his debut at some point in 2026. Matt Shaw is currently the only non-first baseman infielder with any MLB experience slated for a bench role this season, which is good news if you’re Ramirez, who is on the 40-man roster. Like Bateman, he has three hits (one double) in seven at-bats and has played in every game thus far. He’s played mostly third base thus far, but has experience at second base as well. Ramirez is a switch-hitter, which no other infielder competing for a job can say. 

INF Jefferson Rojas

Rojas is only 20 years old and not on the 40-man roster, but he is one of the top organizational prospects, ranking behind only Jaxon Wiggins and Moises Ballesteros. MLB.com doesn’t project a debut from Rojas until the 2027 season, and he has not played above AA, so he’s here in camp to serve as depth. It's hard to ignore the early results, though. He has three hits in eight at-bats, including a home run that came yesterday versus the Royals. He’s played exclusively shortstop so far this Spring, but can flip over to second in a pinch. 

RHP Ben Brown

Even though he is under team control for a few more seasons, 2026 seems like a real prove-it year for Brown. The stuff is there, but his inability to consistently harness it casts a cloud of ambiguity on his future with the team. Brown started yesterday against Kansas City and pitched two innings, allowing two hits, striking out three, and allowing no runs. He gave up two hits in the first to Maikel Garcia and Vinnie Pasquantino, two of Kansas City’s best hitters,  but ended the inning by striking out Salvador Perez. He had a 1-2-3 second inning, striking out two more Royals. Although Brown got the “start”, he may be more valuable to the Cubs if he can excel in the bullpen this season.

RHP Grant Kipp

One of the older prospects in the organization, the 26-year-old is with the team as an NRI. He had a multi-inning outing in the spring training opener against the White Sox, and was one of the few bright spots for the Cubs on the mound in a game they lost 8-1. Kipp entered the game in top of the fourth, and immediately got the Cubs out of a jam, getting infielder Sam Antonacci to ground into a double play. He stayed in the game for the top of the fifth and gave up a single to Korey Lee to start the inning, but then retired the next three hitters in a row. With a good spring, Kipp may find himself added to the 40-man roster, even if it's unlikely he breaks camp with the club. 

Who's Cold? 🧊

OF Justin Dean

2025 World Series Champion Justin Dean was claimed by the Cubs from the Giants earlier in the offseason and is currently one of the reserve outfielders on the 40-man roster. His early spring audition is not going well. He’s played in three games and had nine at-bats; he’s notched one hit but has struck out five times. The 29-year-old has never been a regular contributor in the major leagues. He made his MLB debut last season with the Dodgers and was used almost exclusively as a defensive replacement. He appeared in 18 games, but only got two at-bats, and is still searching for his first MLB hit. With the way spring training has started, he might be one of the first players cut from the 40-man. 

INF/OF Scott Kingery

While the aforementioned Dean has at least one hit this spring, former top prospect Kingery cannot say the same. Throughout his three appearances so far, he is 0-8 with three strikeouts. Last season, he went 4-27 in his first taste of big league action since 2022, so his inability to hit so far should come as no surprise. Even with Kingery’s ability to play all over the field, the Cubs are better off giving more playing time to someone like Ramirez or Rojas. Even James Triantos has contributed with three stolen bases, though he’s gone 2-9 at the plate.

LHP Matthew Boyd

While the other inclusions on this list have all been fringe guys or prospects, Boyd was arguably the Cubs’ best pitcher in 2025, so his inclusion here is discouraging. It's a good thing that spring training is just a workout for rotation staples like Boyd, but it is worth noting that, including the playoffs, the 35-year-old threw the most innings of his career last season. He got the start on Saturday versus the Rangers and surrendered five hits in 1 2/3rds innings of work. He did strike out four, though, and don’t be surprised if he looks much better his second time out.

RHP Porter Hodge

As we get further away from Hodge being a dependable reliever in 2024, questions about his future with the team will continue to pop up. After posting a sub 2.00 ERA in two seasons ago, Hodge had an ERA of 6.27 in 33 innings last season, while battling injuries. He took the mound in the opener versus the White Sox and only recorded one out. He gave up one hit but walked four. He looked a lot better in his second appearance versus Kansas City, pitching a scoreless inning while striking out two, but he also issued a walk in that one as well. It would be great to count on Hodge this season, as he was once viewed as a potential closer, but he needs to get the free passes under control.

View full article