Cubs outfielder Michael Conforto joins evolving bench battle

MESA, Ariz. – Outfielder Michael Conforto was surprised by his gut reaction when he realized he wasn’t going to be signing a major-league contract this offseason; he'd have to settle for a minor-league deal with a spring training invitation.

“I didn't really expect it, but it felt good to have that new perspective, and it felt exciting and new again,” he said Wednesday. “ I was like, dude, I feel like I'm a prospect. I’ve got to come out here and really work.”

Conforto said as much to Cubs manager Craig Counsell Tuesday, before his first team workout.

Spring training is different for established veterans with roster spots. It becomes about preparation rather than performance. Conforto, 32, hasn’t had to compete for a spot on an opening day roster since he was 23 or 24 years old.

“You have uncertainty when you come to camp on a non-roster deal,” Counsell said, “and I think he’s in a position to use that uncertainty in a really good way.’’

The Cubs’ fourth-outfielder competition has been one the most intriguing position battles in camp all spring. Then on Tuesday, backup first baseman Tyler Austin underwent an operation on his right knee, shaking up the bench picture.

With Austin expected to be out for months, the Cubs could go choose to fill the new bench opening a number of ways, including possibly carrying an extra outfielder.

“It opens up opportunity for others,” Counsell said.

Conforto, a former All-Star who had a down 2025 season at the plate, is one of three veteran outfielders on non-roster deals competing for a spot. Chas McCormick and Dylan Carlson also have established MLB track records.

Said McCormick: “They know I can play good defense, know I'm a good runner, I'm athletic out in the outfield, I can hit left handed pitching pretty well. I want to show them that I can hit right-handed pitching… and kind of get back to who I was couple years ago.”

McCormick, 30, has played all five years of his MLB career with the Astros. He won a World Series with them in 2022 and then had his best season (.842 OPS) the next year.

Carlson has been a little more of a journeyman. After spending four and a half years with the Cardinals, he was traded to the Rays. Carlson signed with the Orioles last year. A switch hitter, Carlson hit 18 home runs in 2021 but hasn’t recaptured that power surge since.

“I'm 27 years old, I feel like I have a lot to prove,” Carlson told the Sun-Times. “And it's exciting to be able to get an opportunity to go prove it, and go out there and compete and try to make a roster.”

Already on the 40-man roster, with minor-league options, are Kevin Alcántara and Justin Dean.

Alcántara is coming off offseason hernia surgery, after proving he could produce off the bench last September. That performance earned him a spot on the Cubs’ playoff roster.

“I need to be focused for whatever opportunity I have to do my job,” Alcántara said. “I was only thinking, win.”

Dean, claimed off waivers by the Cubs this offseason, was on a different 2025 playoff roster. After making his major-league debut with the Dodgers in August, Dean served primarily as a defensive replacement and pinch runner.

He appeared in 18 regular season games and 13 postseason games – including Game 6 of the World Series, when he smartly threw up his hands to alert the umpires that Addison Barger’s double was lodged under the wall.

“It shows that I can handle anything,” he said of executing his job in a high-pressure postseason run. “It's not something that you know until you're in it.”

Dean also got to know Conforto on that team and said he was one of the Dodgers who made him feel at home. Now they’re reunited, competing for limited roster spots.

Conforto said Counsell was frank with him about the opportunity ahead. The Cubs’ starting outfield group is set to play a lot, limiting the playing time off the bench.

“I understand that,” Conforto said he told Counsell. “I want to show what I can do, and I know I can help this team win games.”