Nicky Lopez
had less than 24 hours to relax at his home in Arizona with his wife before heading to Wrigley Field with a new locker in MLB. Lopez signed a one-year MLB contract as part of a series of transactions made by the Cubs before Wednesday’s game against the
Dodgers
.
Chicago designated rookie
Gage Workman
for assignment and transferred lefty
Justin Steele
to the 60-day injured list to open an additional spot on the 40-man roster and include Nicky Lopez.
“I’m thrilled to be here,”
Lopez said on Wednesday.
“Being part of this club has always been a dream for me.”
The
Cubs
also officially selected the contract of veteran lefty
Drew Pomeranz
and sent right-hander
Gavin Hollowell
to Triple-A Iowa in the latest bullpen shuffle. Lopez’s arrival, however, was notable as it marked the Cubs’ latest attempt to strengthen third base.
Lopez, 30, was in the Cubs’ camp with a Minor League contract and made a big impression, hitting .450 (9 for 20) in his nine Cactus League games. When it came time to finalize the roster for the trip to Japan for the Tokyo Series,
Lopez
didn’t make the bench.
He was released, signed a contract with the
Angels
, and was designated for assignment again on Sunday. Lopez said it was an easy decision to accept the Cubs’ offer to return when the team called him on Tuesday.
