The Cubs have set their 26-man roster for the 2026 National League Wild Card Series against the Padres in San Diego, carrying a deep group of arms into Game 1 on Tuesday night. The opener, presented by AbbVie, is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET, 9 p.m. CT and 7 p.m. PT, with Peacock and NBCSN carrying the broadcast.
Wild Card roster in San Diego
Chicago’s announced roster is built around veteran starting options Kevin Gausman, Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, David Peterson, Clay Holmes, Colin Rea, Aaron Civale and Javier Assad, with Daniel Palencia, Ryan Zeferjahn and Jacob Webb among the late-inning choices. Ryan Rolison is also included in the club’s pitching group.
The announcement identifies 12 pitchers, although the supplied roster list names 13 arms. The remaining positional groups total 14 players, led by catchers Miguel Amaya and Carson Kelly.
| Roster group | Players |
|---|---|
| Pitchers | Kevin Gausman, Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, David Peterson, Clay Holmes, Ryan Rolison, Aaron Civale, Daniel Palencia, Colin Rea, Ryan Zeferjahn, Jacob Webb, Javier Assad, Colin Rea, Javier Assad |
| Catchers | Miguel Amaya, Carson Kelly |
| Infielders | Nico Hoerner, Alex Bregman, Dansby Swanson, Michael Busch, Gabriel Arias, Pedro Ramírez |
| Outfielders | Pete Crow-Armstrong, Ian Happ, Michael Conforto, Seiya Suzuki, Tyrone Taylor |
| Infielder/outfielder | Matt Shaw |
The position-player group
Hoerner, Bregman and Swanson give the Cubs an experienced middle infield, while Busch joins Arias and switch-hitting Pedro Ramírez on the infield side. Shaw provides the roster’s extra defensive flexibility as an infielder-outfielder.
In the outfield, Chicago will have left-handed bats in Crow-Armstrong and Conforto, a switch-hitting option in Happ, and right-handed hitters Suzuki and Taylor. The group heads to San Diego with Amaya and Kelly available behind the plate for the opening game of the series.
