Suiting up for Cubs a dream come true for suburban native Lopez
For a veteran baseball player in between jobs, life can change in a hurry.
Naperville native Nicky Lopez and his wife, Sydney, were sitting at home Tuesday in Scottsdale, Ariz., watching the Cubs-Dodgers game on television. Then the Cubs called and offered him a job.
As he was about to hop on a red-eye flight from Sky Harbor Airport to Chicago, he tried calling his parents at 1 a.m. to let them know what was happening, but no one answered. By early evening Wednesday, he was standing in the clubhouse and Wrigley Field, then taking batting practice.
“Just to be able to get that call yesterday, 'Hey, we have a spot open for you, would you like it?'” Lopez said. “It would be stupid not to accept it. I'm so happy to be here. It's been a dream of mine to be in this clubhouse.”
The Naperville Central graduate went to spring training with the Cubs as potential infield depth and hit .450. But the roster numbers didn't add up and he described being let go just before the team left for Tokyo in March as a “gut punch.” He then played in five games with the Angels but was designated for assignment last week.
And obviously, the third base options weren't working out for the Cubs. Rookie Matt Shaw was sent back to Triple-A to work on swing mechanics, while Gage Workman and Vidal Brujan weren't up to the task defensively. So expect a platoon at third base between the left-handed hitting Lopez and right-handed Jon Berti until further notice. Lopez described his role as making Craig Counsell's job easier.
“I think Nicky fits and is able to execute that profile,” Counsell said. “The short term is these are our guys. I think intermediate, we're hoping Matt Shaw turns into that guy.”
Workman, who was designated for assignment Wednesday, was a Rule 5 draft pick from the Tigers, so if he didn't make the Cubs' Opening Day roster, he'd have to be placed on waivers and offered back to Detroit. Workman hadn't played above Double-A before this season.
“Gage is as good a human as it gets,” Lopez said. “You've always got to feel for guys like this. It's a tough business, this game of baseball. Obviously, I've been in clubhouses where you see people going out. In spring training I was that guy going out, I was that guy getting told the news. He's got a really bright future ahead of him.”
Lopez, 30, was a fifth-round draft pick of Kansas City in 2016 out of Creighton. He spent five years with the Royals, then was traded to Atlanta in 2023 and got to experience playing in his hometown last season with the White Sox.
He talked about being impressed by his Cubs teammates during the time he spent with them before and during spring training.
“This is a really good group,” Lopez said. “You rarely see people in the locker room because they're always doing something, whether they're in the cages, they're in the weight room, they're getting treatment. That's special.
“You don't see guys just hanging out on their phones or doing stuff like that. For them to be able to do what they're doing has been really special to see.”
Assad setback:
Pitcher Javier Assad, on the injured list with an oblique strain, felt some discomfort on his left side after his second rehab outing with Iowa on Tuesday. He's headed back to Chicago to get checked out, according to manager Craig Counsell. … Pitcher Eli Morgan was diagnosed with an inflamed ulnar nerve and will rest for 2-3 weeks, Counsell said. … In other roster moves Wednesday, the Cubs added veteran lefty Drew Pomeranz to the roster, sent Gavin Hollowell back to Iowa and moved Justin Steele to the 60-day injured list. Hollowell tossed two scoreless innings Tuesday, so he's likely to return soon.