Cubs add Bailey Horn, Porter Hodge and Michael Arias to the 40-man roster

Tuesday at 5 p.m. CT was the deadline for adding players to the 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft.

The Cubs today added left-handed pitcher Bailey Horn from Triple-A Iowa, right-handed pitcher Porter Hodge from Double-A Tennessee and right-handed pitcher Michael Arias from High-A South Bend. The Cubs 40-man roster now stands at 40 players.

Horn, who was acquired from the White Sox in July 2021, is 25 and last year posted three saves and a 4.21 ERA in 45 relief appearances between Tennessee and Iowa.

Hodge is 22. He was the Cubs’ 13th round pick in 2019 out of high school in Utah. Last year with Tennessee he posted a 5.13 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 35 games (12 starts). MLB Pipeline ranks Hodge as the Cubs’ No. 26 prospect.

Arias turns 22 tomorrow. He was signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2021, and last year in 22 starts between Low-A Myrtle Beach and South Bend, he posted a 4.09 ERA. He’s ranked as the Cubs’ No. 12 prospect in the MLB Pipeline ranking.

Since the 40-man roster is now full, we might expect some players to be designated for assignment or traded to make room for free-agent signings or MLB trade acquisitions by the Cubs. Presuming these players remain on the 40-man all offseason, they will all likely appear in Spring Training games in 2024.

As always, we await developments.