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Cubs set to make final cuts

  • Cubs manager Lou Piniella said on Monday that the team will make final cuts sometime Tuesday or early Wednesday.

    The only competition left is the 25th man on the roster. That battle includes Kevin Millar, Chad Tracy and Micah Hoffpauir. Hoffpauir has minor league options left, while Tracy and Millar have minor league contracts, but no long term commitment to stay in a minor-league deal.

  • Left hander Ted Lilly will get four more minor league starts before making his way back to the rotation. Lilly will throw 45 pitches on Tuesday, 60 pitches on April 4, 75 pitches on April 9, and 90 pitches on April 14. Barring any setbacks, Lilly could join the team the week of April 19, when they play the New York Mets at Citibank Field.

  • Outfielder Tyler Colvin was ecstatic when he heard the news that he had made the Cubs 25-man roster. Piniella told Colvin that he made the team Monday morning.

    “I’m going to call my granddad and tell him it’s official,” Colvin said. “He was the first one to call me on Sunday to tell me he heard that I had made it. I told him it wasn’t official yet. So, I’ll call him right away and get some tickets for him in Atlanta (Cubs open the season against the Braves April 5 at Turner Field).”

    The Cubs plan on starting Colvin two or three times a week, while resting all three starting outfielders, in order to get Colvin in the lineup.