Most of the players on the Chicago Cubs‘ 40-man roster are well known.
Ben Cowles, though? He’s not a household name, but given his placement on the 40-man, he could spend time in the major leagues this season.
His path to this point has been interesting. He was a Yankees draft pick out of the University of Maryland, originally an upstate New York star in Newark, N.Y. before heading to the organization based in the Bronx.
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The Cubs eventually traded for him, but then they released him, and the White Sox picked him up.
But when the White Sox waived Cowles this offseason, the Cubs claimed him off waivers. They clearly wanted a do-over.
Now, Cowles is back working out in Cubs colors:
Back where he belongs, Cubs Ben Cowles takes infield and runs the bases. It was windy this AM, but the cap flying off wasn’t because the wind howls for Cowles; it had already ceased by the early afternoon. It was sheer acceleration. pic.twitter.com/UpncWLiUCB
— John Antonoff (@baseballinfocus) January 27, 2026
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In 2024, Cowles was a .286 hitter in Double-A with an .829 OPS.
His numbers slumped in 2025 in Triple-A between Iowa and Charlotte, but he still hit nine homers and stole 18 bases.
He also has previous success hitting in the Arizona Fall League.
Cowles can play all over the field, so the Cubs likely view him as a potential utility man.
For now, Cowles has to be happy to have returned to an organization with a lot of familiar faces.
What he does next will be up to him.
