Among the victims were Blake Parker and Wellington Castillo, who are on the 40 man roster. They were sent to the Iowa training camp. Other non-roster invitees to camp that were sent to minor league camp today were Andrew Cashner, Casey Coleman, Thomas Diamond J.R. Mathes and Bryan LaHair. None of these players were expected to make the team.
But one other player was also eliminated from the opening day roster today: Jeff Stevens. Stevens pitched a number of games for the Cubs last year, but did not have a very good camp this spring. He was most highly regarded player coming out of the Mard DeRosa trade. Stevens hasn't made much of an impression yet at the big league level for the Cubs. Stevens being sent down is a bit of a disappointment, as that trade continues to haunt the Cubs.
John Gaub, another pitcher from that trade, still has a chance to make the team.
Stevens will get to wear this uniform again.
This weekend I'll do a closer examination of the state of the Cubs roster as we get near the final stretch of spring training.
