The Cubs have released 30 minor league players, NBC Sport Chicago learned on Thursday, contributing to a massive wave of cuts across baseball.
According to a post on Brock Stewart’s verified Twitter account, the Illinois native was among those the Cubs released on Thursday. The 28-year-old right-handed pitcher was a non-roster invitee at Spring Training this year.
“Just got that call a little bit ago,” Stewart’s post read. “Very tough to hear and realize. I’m not done though. I’m ready to go. I’ll be ready whenever. I have worked hard and got better. This bulls**t will not get the best of me.”
Stewart quote-tweeted a report by ESPN’s Jeff Passan, which said across baseball, teams released “hundreds” of minor league players on Thursday. More cuts are expected, with the contraction of the minor leagues and the cancellation of the MiLB season likely on the horizon.
Many of the Cubs' cuts would have been part of the usual spring training process of finalizing the roster. But MLB shut down campus two weeks before scheduled season openers, due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Cubs' releases this week were in line with the majority of the industry, supporting Passan’s report that “upward of 1,000” players could be let go.
MLB
NBC Sports Chicago confirmed that the Cubs have committed to paying weekly stipends to their minor leaguers though at least June, a month longer than required. That includes the players who were released Thursday. The Athletic was the first to report the continuation of Cubs farm system stipends.
In reponse to the coronavirus pandemic, all 30 MLB teams had agreed to pay minor leaguers $400 weekly stipends though May. While at least 10 teams, including the Cubs, are reportedly committed to extending pay through June at a minimum, the A’s notified their minor leaguers this week that their stipends would stop after May 31. It is unclear how many teams will continue to pay the players that they released. But according to a report by The Athletic, the White Sox will also provide the 25 minor leaguers that they have cut with stipends through at least June.
Gordon Wittenmyer contributed to the reporting of this story.