Latest Chicago Cubs roster cut may be final chance for popular prospect

With the Chicago Cubs planning on using a rotation of players as the designated hitter this season, there was a thought that Matt Mervis could make the roster as a left-handed power hitter.

On a roster that includes Cody Bellinger, Michael Busch, and Patrick Wisdom, Mervis does not have a path to regular playing time at the Major League level as a first baseman.

It was an opportunity that Mervis was afforded last season but struggled in his initial stint. Mervis posted a 46 wRC+ in 99 plate appearances at the Major League level last season before being demoted back to Triple-A Iowa.

After his demotion last season, Mervis never returned to the Major League level, and that return will not happen at the start of the 2024 season. Mervis was among the players cut from the Major League roster on Sunday.

For as quickly as Mervis gained popularity during his initial ascension through the Cubs' farm system, he came out of favor with the Cubs' organization just as fast. Between how Mervis handled his struggles at the Major League level last season and an inability to make adjustments to his approach during his return to Triple-A, the Cubs seemed to have soured on the prospect who gained nicknames before he ever had a plate appearance at the Major League level.

Matt Mervis does not have much of a future with the Chicago Cubs

Mervis had 1 home run while hitting .281 through 32 at-bats this Spring and it would seem that he will be the starting first baseman for the Iowa Cubs to open the 2024 campaign. However, depending on whether Dominic Smith remains with the organization beyond Opening Day, Mervis likely is not viewed as the next man up at the first base position in the event that there is an injury.

As the focus on the 40-man roster comes into focus during the season, Mervis likely would be one of the first candidates to be moved in the event that there is a need for an opening.

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