The Cubs made a minor roster move today.
Matt Mervis, who struggled at the MLB level in 2023, was given another chance to prove he can hit major-league pitching after a recall from Triple-A Iowa 10 days ago.
It hasn’t worked out. In nine games Mervis batted just .115/.148/.154 (3-for-26) with one double, one walk and eight strikeouts.
Today, the Cubs optioned Mervis back to Iowa and recalled infielder Miles Mastrobuoni. There’s been no official announcement from the Cubs, but:
Miles Mastrobuoni is here. Took over Matt Mervis’ locker. No official move yet. #Cubs
— Taylor McGregor (@Taylor_McGregor) May 4, 2024
Mastrobuoni didn’t have too much luck in his previous stint with the Cubs, going 0-for-12 with one walk and three strikeouts in eight games, serving mostly as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement. At Iowa he’s batting .231/.318/.436 (9-for-39) with five doubles, a home run, 10 runs scored and two stolen bases. Mastrobuoni isn’t likely to get much playing time with the Cubs now, either, but hopefully he can give decent production as a bench player.
I’d expect Alexander Canario to get a lot of time at DH until Seiya Suzuki and/or Cody Bellinger return, althoughPatrick Wisdom is at DH today. As always, we await developments.