With roster expansion looming, former Chicago Cubs first baseman Matt Mervis is making a case to be one of those call-ups down at Triple-A Iowa.
Mervis made his MLB debut in May when he was called up from Iowa. He lasted about six weeks before the Cubs sent him back down to Iowa on June 15.
Since the start of August, Mervis has turned it on at the plate.
He’s hitting .275 with a .412 on-base percentage and a .580 slugging percentage. He’s produced three doubles, six home runs and 16 RBI at the plate. He’s also scored 17 runs and drawn 16 walks against 24 strikeouts.
For the season at Iowa, he’s slashed .292/.418/.539/.957 with 16 doubles, one triple, 16 home runs and 61 RBI in 74 games.
With the Cubs, his numbers took a drop — a .167 batting average with three home runs and 11 RBI. But it was also his first sting in the Majors.
He signed with the Cubs as an undrafted free agent in 2020 out of Duke and in 2022 he led all of minor league baseball with 119 RBI, along with 36 home runs.
He could be the future at first base. His play the last month might give him a second chance to help the Cubs in their playoff push.
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