Chicago Cubs: Miles Mastrobuoni's strong Spring showing

The final few spots on the Chicago Cubs 26-man Opening Day roster are still a bit up in the air, particularly the bench spots. One of the candidates to make the roster is IF/OF Miles Mastrobuoni, who has had a very solid spring so far.

Mastrobuoni, 27, boasts a .357/.550/.357 slash in eight Spring Training games, including six walks and a .907 OPS. He also played for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic.

The lefty-hitting Mastrobuoni was acquired by the Cubs via trade with the Tampa Bay Rays last November. He has not accumulated much MLB-level service time, appearing in eight total MLB games with the Rays last year. He slashed .188/.235/.188 in 17 plate appearances.

While his MLB resume is small, and he is a bit older for a guy who has spent most of his career in the Minors, Spring Training can present opportunities to these types of players trying to make a big-league club. The Cubs did trade for him, so clearly there is something in him that intrigued the front office.

Other bench/platoon guys who are currently on the fringe include Christopher Morel, Nick Madrigal, and Zach McKinstry. It feels like a fairly safe bet that Edwin Rios will make the club. It's worth noting that David Bote, Sergio Alcantara, and Matt Mervis were recently assigned to Minor League Camp, and Nelson Velázquez was optioned to Triple-A Iowa.

In terms of how he's played, Mastrobuoni has at least earned the consideration. He also does have Minor League options, as do Morel and Madrigal. McKinstry is out of options, but still might not make the roster as he's struggled at the plate this Spring. This can come down to a matter of who has earned it in Spring, and if the Cubs feel Morel and/or Madrigal can use some time in the Minors to work on a few things.