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The Chicago Cubs announced their World Series roster before Tuesday night's Game 1 in Cleveland. The biggest news? Outfielder/catcher Kyle Schwarber has indeed made the cut.

Here's the rest of the roster:

Pitchers (11): Jake Arrieta, Aroldis Chapman, Carl Edwards Jr., Justin Grimm, Kyle Hendricks, John Lackey, Jon Lester, Mike Montgomery, Hector Rondon, Pedro Strop, Travis Wood

Catchers (3): Willson Contreras, Miguel Montero,

Infielders (4): Javier Baez, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Addison Russell

Outfielders (7): Albert Almora Jr., Chris Coghlan, Dexter Fowler, Jason Heyward, Kyle Schwarber, Jorge Soler, Ben Zobrist

Schwarber in place of left-handed pitcher Rob Zastryzny is the only difference from the Cubs' NL Championship Series roster.

Kyle Schwarber is on the Cubs' World Series roster. USATSI

Schwarber's addition is improbable, given he suffered a torn ACL and LCL in early April. Yet over the weekend, he auditioned in the Arizona Fall League and the Cubs evidently saw enough to deem him worth a roster spot. Presumably, Schwarber will be limited to DH and pinch-hitting duties, and he'll probably be subbed out for a pinch-runner in important situations. That's the expectation, anyway:

If Schwarber is anywhere near his normal self -- and that's hard to expect -- he's a big upgrade over the Cubs' other DH options, namely Coghlan and Montero. The Cleveland Indians project to throw right-handed starters in just about every game at Progressive Field, so having an additional quality left-handed bat in the lineup should come in handy. That depends on Schwarber's health and ability to shake off the rust.

The risks:

  • Schwarber isn't ready and re-injures himself.
  • He's unable to contribute at the plate and wastes a roster spot. Granted, the Cubs are losing only a reliever who wouldn't have pitched in important situations, but it's still a gamble. We'll see if it pays.