The Cubs reassigned infielder Nicky Lopez to minor league camp earlier today in a move that effectively removes the 29-year-old from consideration for the club’s roster for the Tokyo Series against the Dodgers next week. As noted by Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun Times, Lopez’s contract with the Cubs affords him an opt-out opportunity if he’s not added to the 40-man roster by the end of Spring Training, and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports that he’s “expected” to look for opportunities elsewhere going forward, though Lee notes that it’s theoretically possible the Cubs’ infield situation could change before he can officially opt out when camp comes to a close at the end of the month.
Lopez, 30 later this month, was a fifth-round pick by the Royals back in 2016. He made it to the majors during the 2019 season and showed off an impressive glove all around the infield, but he struggled badly at the plate with a slash line of just .240/.276/.325 (56 wRC+). It was more of the same for Lopez in a regular role with the club during the shortened 2020 season, but he enjoyed something of a breakout campaign in 2021. Lopez hit .300/.365/.378, good for a 104 wRC+, but that essentially league average production combined with his elite defense at shortstop to make for a 5.5 fWAR season.
Unfortunately, that massive success appears to have been a clear outlier. He posted a .347 batting average on balls in play that year, despite never posting a figure higher than .288 in any other season of his career to this point. Lopez’s wOBA outstripped his xwOBA by nearly 50 points, putting his expected numbers more in line with his lackluster 2020 season than his actual results in 2021. Given all of that, it wasn’t exactly a surprise when Lopez came crashing back down to Earth with a 55 wRC+ the following year.
Since the start of the 2023 season, Lopez has bounced between the Royals, Braves, and White Sox in a bench role, having lost the starting job he held during his early years with Kansas City. He’s settled in as a decent glove-first utility option, offering quality defense all over the infield despite a below-average .238/.317/.299 (77 wRC+) slash line over the past two seasons. He has solid plate discipline, as evidenced by a 15.1% strikeout rate and 8.9% walk rate over the past two seasons, but that’s held back by his complete lack of power. Lopez has just seven home runs across 670 big league games to this point in his career, and his .061 ISO the past two seasons is the second lowest of any player with at least 700 plate appearances in that timeframe.
Given Lopez’s relative lack of offensive upside and options like Vidal Brujan and Rule 5 pick Gage Workman who are already on the club’s 40-man roster, it’s perhaps not a major surprise that the club is willing to risk Lopez departing the organization. With Justin Turner, Carson Kelly, and Jon Berti all already locked into the Cubs bench mix, the club already had just one spot left available for the aforementioned trio of utility infielders. Workman and Brujan figured to have a leg up on Lopez throughout the process due to their roster status, combined with the more flexible roster rules of the Tokyo series that figure to allow Chicago to bring both players to Japan and put off making a decision between the pair until the club’s first stateside game against the Diamondbacks on March 27.
Plays really solid D and should start for a second division club looking to defend some young pitching with solid defense behind them.
he isn’t a starter, bad team or not
Perhaps not. But he’s a great glove. If a team in the cheap wanted to cobble something together he’d be serviceable. He’s much better playing utility on someone like the Braves or even replacing Madrigal in NY.
ATL’s bench depth is bad with Christian Cairo, Nick Allen, Luke Williams, Eli White all being out of options. Lopez was hitting .450 (20 AB) in ST and trademarked great glove — not to mention ATL’s familiarity with him. He outshines them, imho.
He’d be a great piece for them. What’s pretty wild is he’d have probably spent years starting for them 30 years ago. He’s in that Rafael Belliard mold.
Shows you how the game has changed. Not sure if there’d be many Blausers, Lemkes and Belliards these days.
Pronklington – We’re to the point of being TOO efficient. But we have to play a lot more match-ups today. I suppose which type of game is better is subjective. I dont think I enjoy it now more.
Blauser was a rare SS with double digit Home Run power in his heyday with the Braves until guys like ARod, Nomar and Tejada came around. Belliard couldn’t bat his body weight but he could pick it. Lemke in a Red Sox uni in ’98 always looked wrong
Looking at it, Belliard played for 17 years (!) and had a career -0.1 bWAR (fWAR: -1.2).
Wow! Simply remarkable. I take that back, you’ll definitely not find a Rafael Belliard-type these days.
It would be incredibly rare-to-almost-impossible for a player in todays game to get to 2500+ AB’s and only hit 2 career Home Runs, let alone on a perennial division winner like Belliard did
Rsox…it just shows there’s other team constructs outside what they try to run today. In fact it might be the new hidden ineffiency.
He could replace injured Madrigal on the Mets as well.
Replacement for Nick Madrigal?
Ya beat me to it, Johnny.
There is a difference between being a “glove-first utility player” and a “glove-ONLY utility player.”
In today’s game, you simply can’t afford to roster guys who can’t hit.
That’s too bad. He’s a Chicago guy. I guess be was just the odd man out between Brujan, Workman and himself.
There are murmurs that, for all the brave talk about Hoerner being ready for the Diamondbacks series–he won’t be. If that is the case, Lopez could still get called up from Iowa by the Cubs, if he has not opted out by then
Rooting for Workman
Agreed. I like Lopez and Brujan but I’m definitely rooting for Workman
I was at the “Mlb in Omaha” Royals versus Tigers game where Nicky hit his very first major league home run.
Ironically, that MLB game was played at his home field (because he played for Creighton University)..
I wish him luck in trying to find a new Team.
Oh Nicky he so fine
He’s probably a better player than Brujan.
And this is based off using your backside brain?
No big loss, buh-bye.