Roster Moves: Cubs call up Matt Mervis, option infielder Edwin Rios |
CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs today selected infielder Matt Mervis from Triple-A Iowa and optioned infielder Edwin Ríos to Iowa.
Mervis, 25, will wear uniform number 22 and is available for today’s 1:20 p.m. CT game against the Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field. The left-handed hitting Mervis has batted .286 (26-for-91) with 27 runs scored, seven doubles, six home runs, 27 RBI, a .402 on-base percentage, a .560 slugging percentage and a .962 OPS in 24 games for Iowa this season. His 27 runs are the third-most in the International League, while his 27 RBI rank fifth. Mervis has batted .300 (6-for-20) against left-handed pitching and posted a .282 mark (20-for-71) against righthanders with a .313 average (15-for-48) with runners on base. He has played 22 games at first base, compiling a .989 fielding percentage (2 E/177 TC). Mervis in 2022 was named the Cubs Minor League Player of the Year after he batted a combined .309 (158-for-512) with 40 doubles, two triples, 36 home runs, 119 RBI and 50 walks contributing to a .379 on-base percentage and a .984 OPS. He touched three levels of the organization, going through High-A South Bend, Double-A Tennessee and Iowa. His 36 home runs were the most by a Cubs minor leaguer since Kris Bryant hit 43 in 2014. Following the 2022 season, Mervis was named a MiLB.com Cubs Organizational All-Star and was named to the Arizona Fall League Rising Stars Team as he batted .262 (16-for-61) with six doubles and 12 RBI in 17 games for Mesa. In March 2023, Mervis played in four games for Team Israel during the World Baseball Classic. The six-foot four-inch Mervis was signed by the Cubs as a non-drafted free agent in June of 2020. Originally selected by Washington in the 39th round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft, he elected to attend Duke University. Mervis graduated from Georgetown Preparatory School in Maryland. Ríos, 29, is batting .100 (2-for-20) with one double, one home run and two RBI in 12 games with Chicago this season. The left-handed hitting infielder singed with the Cubs as a free agent in February. Mervis on dealing with fan, social media hype: pic.twitter.com/JmvtboRGME
Mervis on the Call: “Kinda blacked out for a minute.” Called his mom first. pic.twitter.com/vvKuPUhcqr
Mervis “kind of blacked out for a minute” after getting call that he was joining Cubs.
Called his parents, who were at Baltimore’s airport to fly to see himin Columbus. Mervis told them they had to change their plans. They drove to a DC airport for a new flight to Chicago.
