Cubs Select Nicky Lopez, Vince Velasquez
7:32 PM: Taylor McGregor further reports some further strikes for the Cubs: right-hander Vince Velasquez has been chosen, and Caleb Thielbar was positioned on the 15-day IL with a left hamstring pressure. Additionally, Scott Kingery was designated for project to open an extra spot on the 40-man roster.
6:28 PM: The Chicago Cubs have made a 40-man roster transfer prematurely of tonight’s conflict towards the Dodgers, including infielder Nicky Lopez and transferring Porter Hodge to the 60-day IL, per Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network. For the official player page, Scott Kingery has additionally been optioned to Triple-A Iowa.
Lopez, acquired yesterday from the Rockies, didn’t have to attend lengthy for his reunion with the Cubs. Lopez made 14 appearances with the Northsiders final season (attention-grabbing sufficient, his first look got here almost a year ago to the day). Now coming into his seventh MLB season, Lopez has made a reputation for himself with stable glovework at a number of infield positions. The bulk of his work has come at 2B (2561 1/3 innings) and SS (2351 1/3 innings), although defensive metrics like DRS (-9) and FRV (-1) have relied on his glove at quick to various levels in his final three seasons of labor. Both metrics, nonetheless, look favorably on their work on the keystone (3 DRS/6 FRV) and the recent nook (5 DRS/4 FRV) since 2023.
The versatility will assist supervisor Craig Counsell give the starters a time off and a lefty bat to play with within the lineup or off the bench. To make sure, Lopez would not break the mildew of a conventional, light-hitting utilityman. His profession 73 wRC+ (100 is common) signifies he is below-average on the plate, however to his credit score, Lopez controls the zone comparatively effectively with a low strikeout charge (14.3%). He hits for little energy, and the pace he showcased in his Royals heyday (35/39 SB from 2021-2022) now clocks in nearer to league common. Still, Lopez clearly made a ok impression on the clubhouse and administration final season to warrant a second chew of the apple.
Lopez will functionally be changing Kingery on Counsell’s bench. Kingery has bounced across the league since his five-year run with the Phillies resulted in 2022. Like Lopez, Kingery would not provide a lot with the bat: the latter’s 72 wRC+ is sort of similar to that of his successor. But whereas Lopez provides some defensive upside, Kingery’s versatility is much less notable. His glovework at second and third is extra pedestrian (Kingery, to his credit score, has graded higher on the defensive metrics at quick in a really small pattern measurement).
Since Kingery has greater than three years of service time and has been beforehand placed on outright waivershe can have the choice to say no the location and go for free company if he goes unclaimed. However, doing so would forfeit his MLB wage ($1.25 MM), and given his current MLB efficiency, he is unlikely to match that by re-signing with one other membership. For the Cubs, there’s a potential danger that one other workforce claims Kingery, however given his wage dedication and efficiency, this largely quantities to a non-issue. Most doubtless, he’ll proceed to ply his commerce at Triple-Some time awaiting one other alternative with the large league membership.
Velasquez might be making a return to the MLB mound for the primary time since a brief (but efficient) stint with Pittsburgh in 2023. More just lately, he pitched with the KBO Lotte Giants to poor outcomes, with an 8.23 ERA in 35 innings. While there’s a component of misfortune there (ERA predictor xFIP gauged him nearer to a 5-ERA efficiency), it in all probability wasn’t the outcomes Velasquez hoped for on his foray into Korea.
Regardless, the Cubs noticed sufficient to sign him to a minor league deal earlier than Spring Training. Most doubtless, Velasquez’s function might be to absorb some innings because the lengthy reliever within the bullpen when the rating goes sideways. It stays to be seen how efficient he’ll be in his function, given his MLB layoff, however on the very least, he is a once-proven MLB arm with ample expertise.
Thielbar’s IL placement may pressure the Chicago bullpen, given his glorious work final 12 months. At the tender age of 38, Thielbar changed into arguably the very best season of his profession: a 2.64 ERA in 58 IP with 25 holds. While SIERA discovered him somewhat fortunate primarily based on his peripherals and batted balls, his 3.24 mark would nonetheless be a tremendous quantity for a back-end bullpen arm. The Cubs’ bullpen has executed comparatively effectively within the early going, with a top-10 ERA (SIERA sees them as extra middle-of-the-pack), however shedding a top quality, high-leverage lefty alongside closer Daniel Palencia it will likely be powerful to navigate.
In the interim, the Cubs can have a couple of choices at their disposal to shut out video games. Righty Ben Brownworking solely in reduction, has been glorious in 19 innings. He solely has one maintain and a blown save in high-leverage innings this 12 months, however his efficiency makes him a transparent standout for the later innings. Lefty Hobby Milner is also an choice: whereas he lacks the rate of Brown, he has an extended observe document of success, serving to to bridge to the nearer with 18 holds in 2025.
To make room on the 40-man, Hodge was moved to the 60-day IL following UCL surgery. Given that Hodge will not make any additional appearances in 2026, this transfer is basically a formality.