5 players you completely forgot played for the Cubs in 2023

The Chicago Cubs have given a lot of players chances this year, with many no longer on the active roster.

Every team cycles through young rookies and veteran journeymen regularly, to the point where it's hard to keep track of everyone. Here are five players that you probably forgot played for the Cubs at the MLB level this year.

1. 1B Jared Young

After Matt Mervis and Eric Hosmer had tried and failed to secure the first base position for the Cubs, Iowa Cubs standout Jared Young got his chance but also fell short. Young was called up in late June and came out of the gate hot with a home run and two triples in his first few plate appearances.

But this was unfortunately the height of Young's success as he posted a .171 batting average and a .627 OPS in 35 at-bats. Similar to Mervis, Young has thrived with the Iowa Cubs at the Triple-A level but didn't seem ready to handle big-league pitching. In 85 games for Iowa this year, Young has an impressive slash line of .313/.422/.581 with 21 home runs and 71 RBIs.

At 28 years old, if Young does indeed make it back to the big leagues, it will likely not be with the Cubs. The team has been struggling to find a proper replacement for Anthony Rizzo since the 2021 trade deadline, and the answer will not be a guy like Jared Young.

The team needs a clear answer and it will probably end up being Cody Bellinger. The team will likely have to pay Bellinger center fielder money, but I foresee him transitioning to first base on a permanent basis once Pete Crow-Armstrong establishes himself.