Which Reserve Outfielder Option Best Fits the 2026 Cubs?

[RandallPnkFloyd]

Image courtesy of © Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

With the spring exhibition season underway, there isn't a ton for the Chicago Cubs to figure out—at least when it comes to their regulars. Their lineup is largely set and, with the exception of the Alex Bregman signing, really has been all winter. Instead, the positional focus this spring is on who will round out the positional half of the roster from the bench. 

We know that Matt Shaw will assume a utility role on the infield and get occasional outfield work. We also know that Miguel Amaya will serve as the de facto no. 2 behind the plate (though it's likely to be a relatively even timeshare with Carson Kelly). If we're to assume Tyler Austin gets the third bench spot as a right-handed complement for Michael Busch at first base and occasional designated hitter, that leaves just one spot. We know that spot will go to an outfielder. Which outfielder, however, is arguably camp's most active question.

It's not just that the Cubs have a set outfield. They have a trio of which each figures to log heavy playing time (barring injury). At present, FanGraphs projects Ian Happ for 93 percent of the time in left field, Pete Crow-Armstrong for 92 percent of it in center, and Seiya Suzuki in right field 76 percent of the time. That workload further supports the idea of the fourth spot going to someone from the outfield mix, which means you're looking at four names for one opening.

Kevin Alcántara and Justin Dean are the options currently on the Cubs' 40-man roster. They're joined by non-roster invitees Dylan Carlson and Chas McCormick. On Monday, the Cubs added Michael Conforto to that latter group. The foursome enter the picture at very different stages of their respective careers, the nuance of which could inform the choice that Craig Counsell and company make about who resides on the roster by the end of March. 

The following is what each produced at the level at which they spent the most time in 2025: 

• Kevin Alcántara (Iowa Cubs): 430 PA, .266/.349/.470, 29.8 K%, 11.2 BB%, 110 wRC+
• Chas McCormick (Astros): 116 PA, .210/.279/.290, 26.7 K%, 7.8 BB%, 62 wRC+
• Dylan Carlson (Orioles): 241 PA, .203/.278/.336, 22.4 K%, 8.7 BB%, 74 wRC+
• Michael Conforto (Dodgers): 486 PA, .199/.305/.333, 24.9 K%, 11.5 BB%, 83 wRC+
• Justin Dean (Oklahoma City Comets): 347 PA, .289/.378/.431, 23.6 K%, 11.2 BB%, 110 wRC+

It's not a particularly inspiring group. But they all have at least a history of upside. Even Dean, a late bloomer who wasn't even a high draft pick when he entered pro ball years ago, has defensive value and put up good enough numbers in Triple-A to earn a place with the eventual champion Dodgers during October.

Alcántara's case is a little bit different than the others. In a perfect world, his best days are ahead of him. He's done solid work in the minors and is capable of holding down all three spots, but his strikeout rate remains concerning. Meanwhile, McCormick missed a good chunk of last season with an oblique injury and is two years removed from a 22-homer, 19-steal season with Houston. Carlson has never quite lived up to his billing as a prospect, with health issues of his own playing their part since a third-place finish in the Rookie of the Year voting back in 2021. Conforto has his own spotty history but a longer track record, with his approach remaining a steady component of an otherwise deteriorating offensive skill set. 

Before we can determine which outfielder may best serve the Cubs' needs off the bench, though, it's important to determine exactly what profile they may be looking for. The starting outfield features a nice mix of skill sets. Happ brings a switch-hitting, on-base-driven approach. Crow-Armstrong offers significant power and speed from the left side of the plate, if the contact can come through enough for each to be maximized. Suzuki blends patience with power as a right-handed hitter. However, it's also not so much a need to supplement the outfield group itself as it is to supplement the rest of the lineup. 

The Cubs are a righty-heavy group. They have Suzuki, Bregman, Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner, and both Kelly and Amaya. Moisés Ballesteros could balance things somewhat if he wins the first crack at the DH gig, but the possibility exists that he spends at least a little bit of time in Iowa to start the year. That means Crow-Armstrong and Busch are the only lefties projected to get regular work at present. With one of Kelly or Amaya, Shaw, and Austin on the bench, it's a group thin on lefties—which automatically begins to point us in a particular direction. 

Interestingly, the one that feels the easiest to eliminate from the discussion is the one who performed at the highest level in 2025, albeit in the minor leagues. Alcántara presents decent power, 10-15 steal potential, and athleticism to hold down any of the three spots. At the same time, he'd worsen that rightward lean for the overall group. Besides, the Cubs would probably want to ensure that he's playing as close to an everyday capacity as possible. Unless the Cubs find themselves in a situation where Ballesteros isn't ready and the DH remains more in flux, the assumption should be for Alcántara to start the year back in Iowa until a consistent spot at which to play opens up.

McCormick also feels unlikely to be a part of the Opening Day roster. His power vanished entirely last year, and his splits against lefties (137 wRC+) are considerably better than they are against pitchers of the same handedness (93 wRC+). Even as a steady fielder—30 Outs Above Average in his career at all three spots—the fit just isn't apparent. Dean is McCormick, without the pop McCormick once showed.

That leaves us with Carlson and Conforto. 

Carlson, at least, offers a presence as a switch-hitter. He has prospect pedigree and a steady approach, the latter of which he was able to parlay into a strong strikeout-to-walk ratio and consistently squared-up contact. Then, you look at the splits. Against right-handed pitching, Carlson's career wRC+ is just 83. His career average (.217) is nearly 60 points lower than it is against lefties. The power is consistent on both sides, but the strikeouts and walks are also each slightly worse. If the purpose of a hitter capable of swinging lefty is to combat tougher righties or swing in as a designated hitter, Carlson's probably not your guy. 

That means that the Cubs could very well find themselves in position to rely upon Michael Conforto as their bench bat, to start the season. Conforto does have some things going for him. His chase rate (23.2 percent) was in the 82nd percentile, which begot an 84th percentile walk rate. However, his quality-of-contact metrics regressed in 2025. His barrel rate fell by about two percentage points, and his hard-hit rate did about the same. While that is an obvious decrease, though, it also doesn't justify a 30-point drop in batting average on balls in play, to .247. 

Despite his own checkered history on the health front, Conforto has shown offensive chops more recently than his counterparts in this discussion. His barrel rate in 2024 (11.8%) was in the 80th percentile, and his hard-hit rate was in the 77th (46.0%). If the Cubs think they can make the tweaks to get him back in that direction, then his being a left-handed bat should, automatically, give him the edge. At that point, though, the Cubs would have to account for the fact that he hasn't appeared in center field since 2019. With Conforto on the bench, you're looking at Suzuki or Shaw sliding over when Crow-Armstrong needs a day off.

Regardless, one imagines that the team would prioritize the bat over the glove. In a lineup that leans so heavily to one side, that feels like the more immediate concern. Given what we're looking at with this group, Conforto is the leading candidate for the final bench spot. With the ability to option Dean and Alcántara to Iowa, the team can afford to let them wait in the minors.

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[Development DL]

Solid     Thank You 

[mk49]

I really don't know who fits the best, but this is a good problem to have.  Personally, if Alcantara becomes the guy, I would be happy.

[JunkyardWalrus]

15 hours ago, mk49 said:

I really don't know who fits the best, but this is a good problem to have.  Personally, if Alcantara becomes the guy, I would be happy.

My favorite scenario is where KA takes RF and runs with it, pushes Seiya to primary DH, and Mo spends time in AAA learning to catch enough to be the #2 for Amaya next year. 

Be nice if Javy and Rizzo turned into our CF and RF of the next half decade.

[Rcal10]

18 hours ago, mk49 said:

I really don't know who fits the best, but this is a good problem to have.  Personally, if Alcantara becomes the guy, I would be happy.

Is it a good problem? I don’t believe that is true. They have no clear cut bench guy from this group. All have serious warts. All could actually suck. I don’t consider this a good problem to have. 

[mk49]

Yes, to me, having multiple options is good.  We're talking about the 4th (or even 5th) OF, not our main guys, like Happ, PCA and Seiya.

I have a feeling Matt Shaw may be the 4th guy, though.  

[Rcal10]

4 minutes ago, mk49 said:

Yes, to me, having multiple options is good.  We're talking about the 4th (or even 5th) OF, not our main guys, like Happ, PCA and Seiya.

I have a feeling Matt Shaw may be the 4th guy, though.  

Well the bench is Shaw and back up catcher. That is pretty much established. It is the last two spots. And no really obvious answers. If Shaw is OF #4 who is utility. Bottom line is who are the back ups. Who backs up 1st? Who is the righty off the bench? But a huge deal. I get that. But not a good problem to have. 

[mk49]

7 minutes ago, Rcal10 said:

Well the bench is Shaw and back up catcher. That is pretty much established. It is the last two spots. And no really obvious answers. If Shaw is OF #4 who is utility. Bottom line is who are the back ups. Who backs up 1st? Who is the righty off the bench? But a huge deal. I get that. But not a good problem to have. 

What I'm thinking is that Shaw is #4 most of the time, but he can move to 3B or 2B, if needed.  Other than that, like I said in the 1st post, I don't know who it will be.  But, again, having options isn't a bad thing.  Signing Conforto wasn't a huge deal, but having one more guy to choose from is good.  

After losing Austin, I don't know who the back up 1B and RHB will be, either.  

[Rcal10]

2 minutes ago, mk49 said:

What I'm thinking is that Shaw is #4 most of the time, but he can move to 3B or 2B, if needed.  Other than that, like I said in the 1st post, I don't know who it will be.  But, again, having options isn't a bad thing.  Signing Conforto wasn't a huge deal, but having one more guy to choose from is good.  

After losing Austin, I don't know who the back up 1B and RHB will be, either.  

I agree that having options is good. However if all your options are bad options then It isn’t good. Kind of like the playoffs last year. CC could have gone with Rea, Assad, Shota, Brown, etc… against the Brewers. He has options but all of them sucked. I do think the guys they have, all have some upside. If any of Conforto, Carlson or McCormick can find their best self next year that would be awesome. If Alcantara can prove he can hit that would also be awesome. But there is also a real possibility all of them aren’t very good, or in Kevin’s situation, maybe just not ready yet. I just hope at least one works out. Would have really liked Goldy. Then, if not him, either Hoskins or France. Maybe Mountcastle gets DFA. He wouldn’t be bad. 

[mk49]

1 hour ago, Rcal10 said:

I agree that having options is good. However if all your options are bad options then It isn’t good.

I agree with you.  But, like you said, we don't know if all the options are going to be bad, yet.  I don't have high expectation on those guys, to be honest.😁  But, again, we're talking about backup guys, and while the role is important, not the top priority.  Maybe, we get lucky.  Otherwise, try to find somebody by the trade deadline, and hope the new guy works.