Left-handed pitcher Caleb Thielbar was one of the best relievers in MLB during the 2025 season, and he followed up his regular-season performance with five shutout appearances in the postseason. However, a year later, the 39-year-old veteran, has been left off the Chicago Cubs Wild Card roster in the team’s rematch against the San Diego Padres.
Last season, Thielbar posted a 2.64 ERA with 56 strikeouts in 58 innings. The lefty only gave up five home runs in 67 games. In his second year with the Cubs, Thielbar was hit hard, allowing 11 home runs in 58 games, leading to a 4.86 ERA in 50 innings.
There were no real surprises: Alex Bregman played last weekend against the Boston Red Sox, Justin Steele ran out of time to get a shot to pitch against MLB hitters, and Kevin Gausman recovered after banging up his non-throwing shoulder last week at Wrigley Field. The main questions were how many pitchers the Cubs would carry and who would be the final player on the bench. The Cubs are going with 12 pitchers, and the mild surprise is that backup infielder Gabriel Arias made it on the 26-man roster.
The other big name missing from the Cubs’ Wild Card roster is Edward Cabrera, who was demoted to the bullpen after his second trip to the injured list because of a blister. The right-handed pitcher was Jed Hoyer’s big offseason trade acquisition, but Cabrera has been one of the biggest disappointments on the 2026 Cubs, if not the biggest. Cabrera missed the final series of the regular season against the Boston Red Sox as he was placed on the Family Emergency List on Friday.
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Cabrera allowed five runs on five hits and four walks in four innings after returning from the injured list in September.
Chicago Cubs Wild Card Roster
Pitchers
Left-handed pitchers: Matthew Boyd, Shōta Imanaga, David Peterson, Ryan Rolison (4)
Right-handed pitchers: Kevin Gausman, Clay Holmes, Aaron Civale, Daniel Palencia, Javier Assad, Colin Rea, Jacob Webb, Ryan Zeferjahn (8)
Catchers
Carson Kelly, Miguel Amaya (2)
Infielders
Michael Busch, Nico Hoerner, Dansby Swanson, Alex Bregman, Pedro Ramirez, Gabriel Arias (6)
Outfielders
Pete Crow-Armstrong, Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Michael Conforto, Tyrone Taylor, Matt Shaw (6)
Matthew Boyd is the Game 1 starter for the Cubs on Tuesday night. Kevin Gausman will most likely start Game 2, and we’ll see what happens if a Game 3 is needed on Thursday. If so, we could see Shōta Imanaga then, although Craig Counsell did not confirm how Imanaga would be used during the series.
Looking ahead to the lineup, the big question is whether Bregman stays at DH or returns to the infield to start at third base. If he remains the designated hitter, then Michael Conforto will be pushed to the bench, with rookie Pedro Ramirez getting the start at third base against right-handed starter Michael King.
