Hoping to identify the next wave of talent to crash into Wrigley Field, the Cubs added four players to their 40-man roster before Friday's deadline, protecting a group that includes pitching prospect Duane Underwood and catcher Victor Caratini from the upcoming Rule 5 draft.
Underwood, 22, symbolizes intriguing talent and the difficulties in keeping young pitchers healthy, entering the 2016 season as a top-100 prospect for MLB.com and the organization's No. 4 prospect on the Baseball America rankings. But injuries have slowed his career, and he threw only 73 innings combined for four different minor-league affiliates this year.
Caratini, 23, drew interest from teams around the trade deadline this summer, with teams intrigued by a switch-hitting catcher who might be blocked by Willson Contreras and/or Kyle Schwarber. Caratini became a Southern League All-Star after batting .291 with 25 doubles, six homers and 47 RBI in 115 games with Double-A Tennessee.
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The Cubs also selected the contracts of left-hander Jack Leathersich from Triple-A Iowa and outfielder Jacob Hannemann from Tennessee, bringing their 40-man roster to 39. At this time last year, the Cubs claimed Leathersich off waivers from the New York Mets as he continued his recovery from Tommy John surgery, hoping he could someday impact their big-league bullpen.
The Rule 5 draft will take place on Dec. 8 at the end of the winter meetings in National Harbor, Maryland.