Veteran outfielder Michael Conforto has been informed he will be on the Cubs’ Opening Day roster, according to Patrick Mooney of the Athletic. In related news, outfielder Seiya Suzuki will not be ready for Opening Day, according to manager Craig Counsell (link via Mooney). The club has not decided if Suzuki will start the year on the injured list, though it is increasingly likely, per Mooney.
Conforto, 33, had been in camp on a minor-league deal with a big-league Spring Training invite. On the heels of a rough 2025 season with the Dodgers, both offensively and defensively, he seemed like a long shot to make the big-league roster in Chicago. Center field was never an option. The North Siders have one of the game’s best defensive center fielders in Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Conforto has not played up the middle since 2019. That left the two corner outfield spots, DH, and the bench as potential landing spots, though he seemed blocked by the presence of Suzuki, Ian Happ, Moises Ballesteros, and Tyler Austin.
With the recent injury to Austin and today’s update on Suzuki, Conforto may get some outfield reps in the early going. Austin was brought in on a one-year, $1.25MM deal this offseason to shore up the bench, though he’ll now miss several months following knee surgery at the end of February. That leaves Matt Shaw, who was forced out of a starting spot by the Alex Bregman signing, as the main infield backup on the roster. In the outfield, Conforto and Dylan Carlson are projected as the backups according to RosterResource. With Suzuki currently injured, the team may use Conforto and Carlson in a right field platoon in the short term.
Conforto enters 2026 with 11 years of big-league experience. His peak came with the Mets from 2017-20. In that time, he batted .265/.369/.495 and graded out 33% better than average by wRC+. His 24.4% strikeout rate was less than ideal, but he compensated through a combination of power and on-base ability. Conforto hit 97 home runs in that four-year span and only once posted an isolated slugging percentage below .200 (.193 in the pandemic season). Meanwhile, he got on base regularly thanks in part to an excellent 12.7% walk rate.
His performance fell off from 2021 onward. He was roughly average (104 wRC+) in his final year with the Mets. He underwent shoulder surgery in April 2022 while still a free agent, knocking him out for that campaign. In 391 games from 2023-25 with the Giants and Dodgers, Conforto was average overall, but inconsistent from year to year. In 2023, his strikeout, walk, and power numbers were only slightly down from 2021, resulting in a 99 wRC+. The following year saw him bounce back to 12% above average. The Dodgers bought into that rebound with a one-year, $17MM deal for Conforto in December 2024. Unfortunately, despite a roughly average hard-hit rate, Conforto’s power and contact were diminished, and he finished the year with a career-worst 83 wRC+.
Though he has a 121 career wRC+ against right-handed pitchers, the lefty-swinging Conforto has actually shown reverse platoon splits from 2024-25. In that time, he has been 11% worse than average against righties, compared to 35% better than average against southpaws. That could make for an interesting platoon with the switch-hitting Carlson. The latter has been a poor hitter overall since the start of 2023, although he performed significantly better against righties (85 wRC+) than lefties (49 wRC+) in 2025. Starting Conforto against lefties and Carlson against righties wouldn’t be a perfect fit, but it could be the temporary arrangement until Suzuki is ready to return.
Conforto’s deal came with a $2MM base salary if he made the big-league roster. RosterResource has the Cubs’ 2026 payroll at $231MM, with a projected luxury tax payroll of $243.999MM. That is just barely below the first threshold of luxury tax penalization. Since the club dipped below the threshold in 2025, they would be treated as first-time payors in 2026. As such, the addition of Conforto’s salary will cost the team an additional $400k, barring any changes to payroll over the course of the season.
Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images
Well that’s a letdown. He would have been the last one I would have taken I think. Hopefully Alcantara is the choice for RF with Conforto being OF 5 after Shaw. Carlson has tapered off a bunch after a hot start but Conforto has been bad all along.
@uncle: Alcantara is never going to make the team out of ST. For some reason, they want to deny him that. It might be the reason I suspect, it might not be, but for whatever reason, he cannot make the team out of ST.
what is the reason you suspect?
Shoelaces….please don’t bait Alan. We all know what he is saying. His skewed views are well documented.
Suzuki will probably only miss 7 days. They can back date his IL stint 3 days so he’ll only miss 1 week if he can get through it. I still don’t think it’s all that bad. As for why Alcantara wouldn’t go North I have zero idea why he wouldn’t. He’s earned it.
Hey Uncle! Happy season to you.
My hunch on Conforto (and maybe Carlson) coming north ahead Alcantara is options driven. Obviously, Alcantara has this year left.
I’m just thinking that until Seiya is 100% they don’t want to risk just losing that depth of Conforto and Carlson (magnitude to be determined) before the season even starts. Also, I don’t know how those two picked up guys contracts are laid out.
If I were as confident as you that Seiya was coming back in seven days, fully healthy, I would certainly give the starts to Alcantara with him knowing that he will go to Iowa when Seiya gets back so he gets full time at bats.
Also, I’m not 100% buying that Shaw is going to be starting in RF—I don’t think there are any teams in baseball more defensively analytically driven than the Cubs and I don’t think they even hedge towards putting a poor number out there.
But then again, aren’t we only a couple years removed from Mastrobuoni being the opening day right fielder??
Looking forward to our back and forth this summer—and if you ever want to meet me at Wrigley–hit me up.
Hey Mike, What’s up man? Of course always looking forward to our banter and with KG also, It’s always interesting and usually spot on. I’m just going with who I think the best player is and the guy who could use some MLB AB’s to put on his Resume’. I don’t see what possible good sending Alcantara down to rot again will do especially when he’s earned the spot. They’re supposed to be trying to win and just keeping around a worse player because of his contract sends a bad message. I think Shaw would be OF 4, Not a starter and I doubt there’s much difference between him and Conforto who is no whiz kid out there. Looks like they made the choice between Conforto and Carlson and Carlson lost and is probably gone. Seiya didn’t look like he got hurt bad but it doesn’t hurt to let him heal up as good as he can as long as they don’t start out 0-7 or something. They’re not really known as fast starters so I say take the best men north. My disability won’t let me get to Wrigley anymore but have fun and your son too. Wish I could get there but sadly those days are over. Go Cubs, But lose the song! LOL
Unclemike1526
As for why Alcantara wouldn’t go North I have zero idea why he wouldn’t. He’s earned it.
===================
Has he? His AAA K-rate was over 200/600 ABs. I seldom see players succeed with that many strikeouts. And the 13/2 K/W in ST doesn’t argue well for him either.
IMO, another year of development is well warranted.
He has to me. He’s the best defensive RF they have left. Anybody else would be a liability. He’s hit better than any of the rest in ST. I mean what does somebody have to beat you people on the head to make you notice? He’s blazing fast which also puts him above everyone else they have. I mean there isn’t much else to say. Remember when I said I would trade anyone else in the system to get a young TOR arm EXCEPT Wiggins and Caissie? And Hoyer couldn’t wait to get rid of him? It was for EXACTLY this situation I was thinking of. This wouldn’t even be a thing if Hoyer hadn’t traded the one guy this situation calls for. Are you telling me they couldn’t have put together a package to get an oft injured, Inconsistent Rotation arm they really didn’t even need with Brown, Assad, Sanders, Wiggins and Noland around? He’s still a fool. That’s not even counting the Cam Smith stupidity. So for two studs he got 1 year of a bad idea and if Cabrera gets injured he might get zero out of that. Extending him was a horror show.
Yet another reason that teams should contractually bar players from participating in the WBC.
I doubt Rob Manfred would approve.
The WBC is co-owned by MLB, MLBPA, NPB and the KBO.
So that leaves you shopping your idea with everybody who has no stake in it. Have fun.
Alcantara won’t come up until June. They will want him to end the year with less than 1 year of service time.
Chas McCormick probably makes it if they carry a 5th Outfielder
I imagine Conforto can hit a few HRs in Wrigley but the rest of the stats won’t please Cubs fans. We saw enough of him in SF. But best of luck to him and you Chicago fans.
Everybody always thinks it’s so easy to hit HR’s in Wrigley which couldn’t be further from the truth, Especially Early and Later in the year. If the wind is blowing in even Judge would have a tough time hitting one out. People who say that haven’t really got a clue.
Conforto reminds me of the end of Carlos Gonzalez – he had half a good game as a Cub and then was pretty useless and quietly disappeared.
Brick—I was at that half good game—he probably made his best ever defensive play during it.
And LA
if seiya’s out, shaw should be in
Was holding out hope Tauchman would make it back.
Tauchman came out of the Mets game today with what appeared to be a hamstring issue.
Everybody wants Tauchman, including the Mets. He’ll make the team as the 4th outfielder, pushing Taylor to the 5th as a late game defensive replacement or short-term injury replacement.
Soto-Robert-Benge
Benge and Taylor will get time in CF to get Robert off his feet a couple days a week, leaving plenty of at bats for Tauchman to rotate in the corners and at DH.
A.J. Ewing has also emerged as a potential outfield option as early as this season (which is why Jett Williams is no longer a Met).
Bing, Bang, Boom!
The idea that Suzuki was not going to start the season on the IL was always something of a wish cast. I think we kind of knew that Suzuki was going to hurt himself in the World Baseball Catastrophe. Suzuki has a kind of hapless, clueless quality about him, has since he first arrived. Can’t wait for him to be gone.
You can’t wait for a guy with a career 129 OPS+ to be gone? And don’t say “we kinda knew”. No one knew he would get hurt in the widely popular WBC. Fluky injury. Hapless and clueless? Wow. What a ridiculous take, on a site full of ridiculous takes. Do better, Alan.
We know early who Alan’s whipping boy is this year. Why not pick the most important offensive player like he did last year?
We are about six days away from him telling us that the Nats and Angels are going to knock the Cubs out of the race and they will miss the playoffs and finish last.
It started last May with his White Sox/Marlins week and it changed every week depending on who was on the schedule.
Love his WBC take–Alan being Alan…the Classic only completely outdrew five teams entire season attendance totals from last year. Apologies to the Athletics and Rays who played in minor league stadiums but they wouldn’t have drawn over 1.6M in a regular park.
I kind of feel bad for the hordes of posters that have muted him and get to miss out on the continual foolishness all season long.
Long time no see, Alan. How’s your cancer? You haven’t mentioned it in quite a while, but when you first started commenting here, you were insinuating (along with all your racist comments) that you might not even be around for the 2026 season. Guess that’s all water under the bridge now, eh?
Woof… Good luck with that.
Conforto sucks.
He must have found a four leaf clover in the OF earlier this week. Unbelievable that a player could be as bad as he was all year in 2025 which carried into spring and still have a roster spot.
And with a team that’s supposed to be a contender!
You forgot how bad he was in 2024. We haven’t.
dreadful news for Cubs fans.
Excellent news for everyone else
I wanted the Braves to get him. Sure, he’s been tanking a little but historically he gets on base a ton
He’s been tanking a little? Historically he hasn’t been good since 2020. Over the last 3 seasons he has not been getting on base much. He has a .316 OBP over that span (.305 last season), with a .706 OPS. As soon as Suzuki is back the Braves will probably have another chance at him. He will hit a few HRs but not sure he’s the answer for the Braves.
/s/ Phillies fan.
Conforto is a waste of a uniform as well as a roster spot.
Conforto is Italian for “Hitless.”
Conforting news for the Conforto household.
Somebody might want to wake Jed up and let him know the early 2020s are long gone.
Ew
Three catchers. Five infielders with Shaw. Should be six. Four outfielders with the DH spot usually covered by a catcher. So who is the other infielder? Nico covers SS when needed. Shaw at second. Would be a corner man. Long?
Did he tear it up in Spring Training? That’s the only way he gets a roster spot I’d hope…
Another former Mets “rising young star” like Davis and Duda who has several decent years then flames out.
You hate to see it.
Conforto was also offered a great contract back when he was still productive for the Mets but that backfired immensely.
Mets gonna always Met.
Man what a random comparison haha
Out of all qualified players in baseball, only Eric Wagaman of the 57-62 Miami Marlins had worse cumulative offensive stats than Conforto, making Michael Conforto essentially the second worst offensive player in baseball in 2025.
Michael Conforto was also one of the worst defensive players in all of baseball, as his -5 outs above average (OAA) ranked him as the 36th worst defender in all MLB regardless of position. As for left field in particular (the second easiest position to play in baseball), he was tied for the fifth worst left fielder by OAA, only behind the likes of Heliot Ramos, Brooks Baldwin, Jasson Dominguez, and Gavin Lux.
His sprint speed was also in the bottom 25% of the entire league.
His on base percentage, which many will flex as being his best trait, officially fell below .300 after August 13th.
Michael Conforto was 3-30 (.100) in August. For the season, he was 0-8 as pinch hitter. He was a .160/.264/.320 hitter with runners in scoring position, with a .143/.234/.214 slashline with two out and RISP, and a slashline of .130/.241/.217 in high leverage.
Ok. I’ll try to find the positives (but there aren’t many). Above average bat speed, chase rate, walk rate, and arm strength. Batted ball metrics are middling. His BABIP last year was also a career-low .247 so there may be some positive regression this upcoming season to his .290 mean. (YW, Scott Boras.)
Creature—another positive—and I know most 24th thru 26th men on rosters are created pretty similar—BUT—pretty much anyone, Conforto included, cannot be a bad as Berti and Brujan were last season.
YBC
“Out of all qualified players in baseball, only Eric Wagaman of the 57-62 Miami Marlins had worse cumulative offensive stats than Conforto, ”
Another positive is that corrosive was wrong about this
Conforto had the 18th lowest wRC+
fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?stats=bat&…
So you’re saying he’s a keeper.
Why?