The Chicago Cubs have officially set their Opening Day roster.

The team announced their 26-man list ahead of the first game of the Tokyo Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, including top prospect Matt Shaw among that pool of players.

Shaw had his contract selected and was added to the 40-man roster and right-handed pitcher Keegan Thompson was designated for assignment to make room for Shaw on the 40-man.

[MORE: Cubs star Dansby Swanson has advice for Matt Shaw ahead of MLB debut]

Right-handed pitcher Daniel Palencia was optioned to Triple-A Iowa, as the Cubs had to reduce their 31-man travel squad to 26. Right-handed pitcher Jameson Taillon and left-handed pitcher Matthew Boyd were left off the 26-man roster after they pitched in Sunday’s exhibition win over the Yomiuri Giants. Right-handed pitcher Brad Keller and catcher Reese McGuire, both non-roster invitees, also were left off.

The nature of the Tokyo Series allows manager Craig Counsell and the Cubs to roster a bullpen of 11 pitchers, which will provide length for starters Shota Imanaga (Tuesday’s starter) and Justin Steele (Wednesday’s starter). Both Imanaga and Steele are not fully stretched out and having that many options can help Counsell cover the innings in both games. Relievers also aren’t fully in game shape, so it’s very unlikely you’ll see any pitch in both games.

[READ: What 2025 MLB Tokyo Series means for Cubs’ Shota Imanaga, Seiya Suzuki]

The special circumstances also mean the roster will change again when the Cubs return Stateside for their domestic opener against the Diamondbacks next week. Boyd and Taillon will both have to be added back to the 26-man roster and it’s possible that Keller, who has opened eyes this spring, could be rostered then, too. Adding Keller to the roster, though, would require another 40-man move.

Thompson’s tenure with the Cubs comes to an end after eight years. He was drafted by the team in the third round of the 2017 draft and ascended to being one of their top pitching prospects. He debuted in 2021 and served as a key bridge arm for David Ross, pitching in multi-inning stints and linking the starter to the back end of the bullpen. After the team sold at the deadline, he returned to the minor leagues to be stretched back out as a starter, returned to the big leagues and finished that year with a 3.38 ERA.

He had a breakout campaign in 2022, posting a 3.76 ERA across 29 games (17 starts) in 115 innings, but his struggles started after that. One of Thompson’s biggest struggles was his lack of command — in his last two seasons in Chicago he had walk rates of 15.2% and 14.2%.

[MORE: With sense of urgency, Cubs are prepared to attack 2025 season]

In 2023, he struggled to perform on less than three days’ rest, regardless of how long his outings were. It culminated in a 7-6 loss to the Astros on May 17 where the Cubs blew a 6-1 lead. Thompson faced three batters, allowing a single, a home run and a walk before being pulled in the Cubs’ loss. He was optioned two days later and made just four appearances in late August and early September that year.

Last season, Thompson was funneled back and forth from Triple-A Iowa and had two separate IL stints, finishing the year with a 2.67 ERA in 30.1 innings.

Here’s the Cubs full roster:

Pitchers

LHP – Shota Imanaga
LHP – Caleb Thielbar
RHP – Ben Brown
RHP – Eli Morgan
LHP – Justin Steele
LHP – Jordan Wicks
RHP – Porter Hodge
RHP – Tyson Miller
RHP – Colin Rea
RHP – Ryan Brasier
RHP – Ryan Pressly
RHP – Nate Pearson
RHP – Julian Merryweather

Catchers

Miguel Amaya
Carson Kelly

Infielders

Justin Turner
Jon Berti
Matt Shaw
Dansby Swanson
Vidal Bruján (S)
Gage Workman (L)
Michael Busch (L)

Outfielders

Pete Crow-Armstrong
Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
Kyle Tucker