Chicago Cubs journeyman officially outrighted to Triple-A Iowa

According to the MLB transactions page, Cubs infielder Nicky Lopez was outrighted to Triple-A Iowa. He was the corresponding move from outfield prospect Kevin Alcantara being called up on May 23.

Lopez has played 15 games in Triple-A this season for the Albuquerque Isotopes (Colorado Rockies Triple-A). He posted a .333/.387/.519 slash line with one homer, eight RBI, 11 runs scored, and two stolen bases. Lopez has also shown an ability to identify the strike zone with a 6:7 walk-to-strikeout ratio.

At the major-league level, he has not been able to produce as he is 0 for 5 with two strikeouts and a run scored across four games. He has posted a career .619 OPS across eight seasons in MLB. With Lopez being a versatile defender at multiple positions, he can fill a void for the Cubs if they need to call up a player for a bench role or spot starts. He has logged innings at every position outside of catcher, center field, and right field thus far.

Lopez is still just 31 years old, so there is a chance for him to improve at the plate. He has shown the ability to step up and hit in the minors, so it won’t be too long until he returns to the majors. It will be intriguing to see how long until Lopez gets back to the majors with the Cubs or another team.