3 Chicago Cubs minor league players who could be on the playoff roster

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Playoff baseball is in sight for the Chicago Cubs. Following Tuesday night's win over the San Francisco Giants, the Northsiders have a nearly 90 percent chance of making it into the dance by Baseball Reference's measure. It's time to start thinking about optimizing the roster for the postseason ahead.

While there shouldn't be seismic shifts in terms of who'll be appearing in October for the Cubs, there are players off of the roster who have a case to be made for being in the dugout. Current rules state that any players in the organization and on the 40-man roster or 60-day IL before September 1 are playoff eligible, meaning they can't simply pull up anyone they want. The options available, however, are worthy of discussion and have the potential to force their way into the dance if things go right.

Let's take a look at three of the most likely options, including a couple of returning players and one prospect who could be an upgrade down the stretch.

#3: Matt Mervis

For an extra bat that would be postseason-eligible, one of the best choices at the moment would be first baseman Matt Mervis. The slugging lefty came up earlier this year after lighting up the minors and left a lot to be desired. He struck out at a 32.3 percent clip and slashed an abysmal .167/.242/.289 in his 27 games with the club. His solid barrel rate, hard hit percentage, and exit velocities were encouraging signs that he was capable of more, however.

Since being sent back down to Iowa, he's largely continued what he was doing before the call-up. He's hit .274/.393/.500 since his return on June 16 with 12 home runs to show for his efforts. In the month of August, his strikeout rate ballooned to 29.6 percent in Triple-A and his batting average has been a bit less impressive, though he's still managed a .893 OPS with eight homers in the month. He's also undergone some swing adjustments which explain why he's remained in the minors.

Mervis is possibly the longest realistic shot to make the postseason roster of the three here. He'd have to come up and prove he's worth a spot over a fringe guy on the Cubs like Miles Mastrobuoni or go scorched Earth in the minors to the point that it prompts some questions. With the talent he's displayed, however, it's not out of the realm of possibility. By the time the playoffs roll around, he could very well have made a case for himself to be on the bench in the wild-card round.

#2: Brandon Hughes

Brandon Hughes, the Cubs' main lefty to open the season, could be bound for Chicago before the postseason begins. He didn't get much runway with the team to open the season following a lingering issue in his left knee that eventually led him to undergo surgical debridement earlier this year. Only recently did Hughes take the mound for his rehab stint in Iowa, putting a return in the waning months of the season, and potentially the playoffs, into the realm of possibility.

There's no telling if Hughes will be back in peak form upon his return, but if he was, he'd be a strong candidate to make the cut for October. The southpaw broke out with the Cubs in his debut last year, posting a 3.12 ERA across 57 2/3 innings albeit with a much less impressive 4.64 FIP that suggested some good luck. There were reasons to believe in him long-term, though, including his 91st percentile whiff rate and respectable 3.86 expected ERA.

The Cubs still don't have an established lefty this year, often defaulting to Mark Leiter Jr. to take on any southpaws. Hughes would fix that problem and could easily justify a spot in the playoffs over Hayden Wesneski or Keegan Thompson should they continue to struggle. The main hurdle for him to clear is getting back in form after surgery.

#1: Ben Brown

While his oblique injury prevented him from getting the call as rosters expanded, Ben Brown should be right back on the radar to come up as a potential bullpen upgrade for the stretch run and the postseason. Brown is still considered one of the Cubs' best pitching prospects and he showed why in his recent return to the mound. While he only pitched one inning, he flashed around 95-97 mph with his fastball and posted a pair of strikeouts.

Of course, he wouldn't be on the radar in the first place without what he did in the first place to end up there. Brown's Triple-A season has been up and down with a 4.77 ERA, but much of the damage can be traced to three blow-up starts which make up only six of the 80 innings he's thrown. Before going on the IL, he posted three strong starts in a row, giving up only three runs in 15 innings while racking up 16 strikeouts.

Cubs ace Justin Steele better get used to the Jon Lester comparisons. dark. Next. Justin Steele

Brown has the build of a scary back-end reliever with a high 90s fastball combined with a wipeout curveball. Control is still a slight issue for him, but there's hope that a move to the bullpen will be beneficial for his long-term future like Justin Steele before him. He has the talent to carve out a spot for himself and, come playoff time, it couldn't hurt for the Cubs to have another arm that could reliably miss bats.

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#3: Matt Mervis

#2: Brandon Hughes

#1: Ben Brown

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