Gage Workman’s Complicated Case to Make Cubs’ Opening Day Roster

With several factors working both for and against him, Gage Workman is presenting a strong case to break camp with the Cubs when they head to Japan to open the season. That might seem like a bit of a no-brainer given he’s already on the 26-man roster and must remain so lest the Cubs be forced to place him on waivers and possibly lose him. Doesn’t seem like the kind of move the Cubs would be willing to make, particularly after stripping nearly all of their third base depth from the organization since last season.

On the other hand, the Cubs have acquired three other players — Vidal Bruján, Jon Berti, and Justin Turner — who can all man the hot corner in at least emergency situations. Then there’s that Matt Shaw character who just got back to playing in games. Shaw isn’t on the 40-man roster yet, so having him healthy enough to travel overseas would mean the team would have to clear space somehow.

Versatility is where Bruján has a leg up due to playing multiple outfield spots in addition to his duties on the dirt. Workman has logged a total of 72 outfield innings, all in right, across his college and professional experience to this point. Those eight games came at High-A and Double-A in 2023 when he was still in the Tigers organization. If the Cubs opt to keep Kevin Alcántara in Iowa to get everyday reps, Bruján could get the nod as the fifth outfielder.

So while it makes sense from a purely procedural standpoint to keep Workman around, the construction of this specific roster muddies things up a bit.

“I think he’s probably in the toughest situation of anybody coming into camp,” Craig Counsell told reporters on Monday. “It’s a brand new organization. You know what the Rule 5 pick means, right, and I think he has handled it with a lot of maturity.

“I think he’s probably in the toughest situation of anybody coming into camp … I think he’s handled it with a lot of maturity and that’s led to really good performance.”

Craig Counsell on Gage Workman. pic.twitter.com/jZ4ChHgE3b

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) March 3, 2025

“That’s led to really good performance and just really letting who Gage Workman is kind of shine. That’s a left-handed bat with some power, good plate discipline, and a good defender. And he’s shown all three of those things, which is hard to do in a really small sample.”

With two more hits on Monday, the first of which came against Diamondbacks ace Corbin Burnes, Workman is batting .364 with a 1.105 OPS in Cactus League play. His two homers and eight RBI (tied with Michael Busch) both lead the team so far. Some have pointed out his six strikeouts, but four other Cubs have just as many in fewer trips to the plate. Other than Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki, neither of whom need to worry about their spots, the strikeout list is headed by 40-man members Bruján and Ben Cowles.

Though we’ve all been focused more on Brujan, Cowles’ emergence could also be working against, uh, Workman. The 25-year-old is batting .429 with a 1.239 OPS on the strength of five doubles and a homer in his first spring training action with his new organization. Cowles was acquired along with Jack Neeley from the Yankees last July in exchange for Mark Leiter Jr., a deal that is looking better by the day.

My initial thought was that batting left-handed would be a mark in Workman’s favor, and it may be relative to Cowles being a righty batter, but Brujan is a switch-hitter. Interestingly enough, Workman used to bat from both sides of the plate until last year at Double-A. His walk rate remained strong at 11.7% and his strikeout dropped appreciably, down to 27.5% after ballooning to 40.0% and 38.8% in his two previous stints at that level.

“I’m just trying to take care of what I can take care of every day,” Workman said recently. “I feel like I’m playing well defensively. Playing well offensively. Just trying to be someone that the team could use throughout the year.”

Perhaps the clearest path to his inclusion on the Opening Day roster is Nico Hoerner‘s recovery. The team has already announced that Hoerner will not travel to Japan and will instead remain in Mesa to participate in minor league games to ramp up with the possibility of being ready for the stateside opener. Having Hoerner out for an extended period further strengthens Workman’s case because he’s probably got more long-term upside than Bruján, who I failed to mention earlier is out of options.

It could come down to who the Cubs feel the least worried about losing, in which case I have to imagine they’d opt to keep Workman. He has to be placed on outright waivers in order to be removed from the roster and must be offered back to the Tigers if he clears. Based on the way he’s playing, I have to imagine another team would be willing to snatch him up. Of course, Bruján is a former top-100 prospect who’s also playing very well and has speed to burn. His legs and the ability to play all over the field make him an ideal bench piece.

That means it’s probably a matter of what tools the Cubs value most and how likely they feel the player in that final roster spot is to make an impact with them. Workman has flashed a very good glove, and his 57 minor league homers in four seasons give him one more than Bruján has hit in 10 professional campaigns across multiple leagues and levels. Do they want versatility mainly for the sake of versatility in Bruján or a slick fielder with the potential for 20-home run power?

I honestly don’t know, but we don’t have to wait much longer to find out exactly how all these puzzle pieces fit together. Shoot, I forgot to mention Nicky Lopez at all here. Cue up the next post…

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