Cubs add 2 players to roster
The Cubs on Wednesday added two players to their 40-man roster, bringing the total on the roster to 39.
They selected the contracts of shortstop Arismendy Alcantara and pitcher Dallas Beeler from their Class AA Tennessee affiliate. Those two players are protected from being taken by another team in December’s Rule 5 draft.
Alcantara, 22, had a hitting line of .271/.352./.451 with 15 home runs and 69 RBI for Tennessee during his first year at the Double-A level. He earned Southern League midseason and postseason all-star honors. The Cubs signed him as a nondrafted free agent in 2008.
Beeler, a 24-year-old right-hander, went 4-2 with a 3.13 ERA in 9 starts with Tennessee this past season and continued in the Arizona Fall League, going 4-1 with a 2.49 ERA 6 starts. The Cubs selected Beeler in the 41st round of the 2010 draft.
A number of interesting players were left unprotected and potentially vulnerable in the Rule 5 draft, including former Northwestern University left-hander Eric Jokisch, pitcher Matt Loosen and outfielder Jae-Hoon Ha.
It’s difficult for players taken in the Rule 5 to stick with their new organizations because they must be left on the major-league roster all season.