The Cubs’ roster for the Tokyo Series is beginning to come into focus.

The team announced they had made 11 roster cuts on Friday, bringing the spring training roster to 42 players. They’ll take 31 players to Japan when the team jets off on Tuesday (the normal 26-man roster and a 5-player travel squad).

Right-handed pitcher Ethan Roberts and left-handed pitcher Luke Little were optioned to Triple-A Iowa. Right-handed pitchers Phil Bickford, Chris Flexen, Ben Heller, Brooks Kriske and Trevor Richards, infielders Jonathon Long and James Triantos and outfielders Greg Allen and Christian Franklin were returned to minor league camp.

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The Cubs’ current spring roster features 21 pitchers, five catchers, 10 infielders and six outfielders.

That means the team will have to make 11 more cuts before Tuesday, although some of those decisions are a bit more straightforward. The Cubs will have a 26-man squad for the 2-game set against the Dodgers and a 5-man travel squad to provide cover during the exhibition games against the Hanshin Tigers and the Yomiuri Giants.

The Cubs have already announced that Nico Hoerner and Javier Assad will not be participating due to injuries, so that reduces the number of players needed to be cut to nine. While catching depth is paramount, the Cubs won’t be taking five backstops on the trip, so two more cuts will likely come from that group — and one of those catchers still in camp, Moisés Ballesteros, has been earmarked to participate in the Spring Breakout games next week. That reduces the number of cuts to seven players.

Top pitching prospect Cade Horton has also been announced to be playing in the Spring Breakout games next week, so that’s another player still in camp who won’t make the trip, meaning the Cubs will have to make six cuts by Tuesday.

Little was an emerging name for Craig Counsell and the Cubs in 2024. In 30 games, he had a 3.46 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP and was emerging in the Cubs’ circle of trust. But a shoulder strain in July cost him his season. This spring, the Cubs were managing his workload and he had yet to appear in a Cactus League game.

Roberts spent much of the second half of last season at the big-league level, posting a 3.71 ERA and 1.54 WHIP in 21 games for the Cubs. He’ll figure to be bullpen depth the rest of the season.

Bickford, Flexen, Heller, Kriske, Richards and Allen were all veterans in camp on minor league deals. If they stay in the organization, they would be depth options for the big-league team.