September allows MLB teams to add to their rosters with two extra spots, bringing the grand total on the active roster up to 28. Soon enough, though, that total will fall right back down to 26, a roster that each team needs to decide on before each successive playoff series they appear in.
The Chicago Cubs hope they need to make such decisions. As it stands today, the Cubs would secure a spot in the postseason by way of a Wild Card spot, but the race in September is expected to be intense. Chicago needs to keep winning to defend that position. Ideally, they'd like to win the NL Central, where they're 3.5 games back from the Milwaukeee Brewers heading into the week.
Milwaukee has a bit of an easier go of it over the next few weeks, but the final series of the year is Cubs at Brewers. It could be for all the marbles.
Assuming Chicago does make the postseason, don't expect to see these three players on the playoff roster.
Alexander Canario has not gotten reps to prove himself yet
Fans are perplexed that Alexander Canario still hasn't gotten a big league appearance despite his recent call-up to the major league roster. Jed Hoyer explained that this was expected, and David Ross has provided a similar sentiment.
As exciting as it would be for the 23-year-old to get playoff experience, even if it were just riding pine, there will likely be other uses for the limited roster spots that the Cubs need to fill. This one isn't necessarily that Canario has failed to prove himself, he just hasn't had the requisite opportunities to do so yet.
And over the next few weeks, it's tough to see where those might come from. Sure, Canario could get a pinch hitting opportunity late in an all-but-finished game, but the few and far between chances -- if they come at all -- won't give enough data to the team to justify using a roster spot on him.
In 36 games at Triple-A Iowa this year the outfielder is slashing .276/.342/.524 with an .866 OPS.
Miles Mastrobuoni is not cutting it
Miles Mastrobuoni has had a few stints on the big league roster this season, and logic would suggest he won't make the roster once it goes from 28 to 26 for the postseason. In 45 games this season, he's slashing .210/.295/.270 with an OPS+ of just 54.
In the field, he's not brought much flavor either with a zero or negative outs above average rating at every position he's played. Most egregious is his performance in right field, where he has a 71% success rate, compared to the 81% estimated success rate Statcast gives him.
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While Mastrobuoni's versatility has been helpful for manager David Ross to plug holes in the lineup for rest days or off days, he'll be rolling with the A-team all postseason long, should the Cubs make it. There won't be a need to have Mastrobuoni on the roster.
Mastrobuoni's most recent call-up to the show started on Aug. 19 when the team designated Tucker Barnhart for assignment. It was his fifth stint with the club this year.
The one thing he does bring to the table is base running. He's stolen 10 bases and the one area you could justify keeping him on the postseason roster for is pinch-running situations.
His 28.7 feet per second sprint speed ranks 83rd among qualified players, fastest of any Cub. That puts him in about the 85th percentile.
It will be hard to justify one of the 26-man spots for a player who struggles in most other areas, though. Ultimately, it may depend on Ross's confidence in other areas of the roster to determine how many peripheral slots they have to work with.
Jameson Taillon has proven he is more likely to implode than excel
Jameson Taillon is the biggest name on this list, and for good reason. The starting pitcher has struggled immensely all year long, despite being one of the most exciting additions Chicago made this offseason.
His most recent start saw him give up seven hits and five earned runs. He was homered off of three times, a theme of the year with his 1.7 HR per nine innings which is a career-worst. If he can't win when the Cubs need victories more than ever to secure their postseason spot, why would performance in the playoffs be much different?
Taillon has posted seven quality starts in his 25 this year so far, but he's also had seven games where he failed to make it four full innings. In a playoff atmosphere, a starting pitcher that you can't count on getting you out of the fifth inning creates several holes. One: It'll put more pressure on the offense that game. Two: It'll wear down your bullpen by forcing the manager to go that way earlier than necessary.
Truthfully, easier option for the Cubs would be taking Taillon out of the rotation altogether and having a scripted bullpen day. That way, there's no shock at the amount of length the bullpen needs to go, and the amounts are largely pre-budgeted.
The Cubs and Taillon should turn their sights toward next year, aiming to have him get back to his normal shutdown pitching that he displayed the last few years with the Yankees which ultimately earned him the contract in Chicago. If Chicago doesn't somehow get out of this contract, spring training and the early part of next season will be huge for Taillon.
