Cubs DFA Gage Workman, sign Nicky Lopez amid plethora of roster moves

CHICAGO — The Cubs’ roster churn continues.

The team signed infielder Nicky Lopez to a one-year major league contract Wednesday and designated infielder Gage Workman for assignment. The Cubs also selected left-hander Drew Pomeranz‘s contract from Triple-A Iowa and optioned right-hander Gavin Hollowell to Iowa. Justin Steele was transferred to the 60-day injured list to make room for Pomeranz on the 40-man roster.

The moves were announced before Wednesday’s series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Wrigley Field.

The Cubs also signed right-hander Michael Fulmer on a minor-league contract, and he joined the I-Cubs, Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register reported.

Workman, 25, was selected in the December Rule 5 Draft from Detroit. That meant he had to stay on the Cubs’ 26-man roster all season or be offered back to the Tigers. He had a strong spring and earned a spot in the big leagues, but he struggled in the regular season.

Workman was just 3-for-14 this season with six strikeouts, but his real troubles came on the field — as highlighted in Tuesday’s wild 11-10 win over the Dodgers. Workman committed an error on the first play of the game, so instead of being the first out, the Dodgers wound up scoring three runs with two outs. Workman also couldn’t cleanly field a ground ball with the bases loaded in the seventh inning, and it led to a run. The Dodgers scored four more times, turning a 7-5 deficit into a 10-7 lead.

[MORE: Craig Counsell reacts to Gage Workman’s costly errors in wild Cubs win]

“Yeah, there were some mistakes tonight,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said after the game. “The first ball to lead off the game was hit on the end of the bat. So [it] probably took a weird hop. The second play, it’s got to be made. Not an easy play, but it’s got to be made.

“That was an unfortunate part of the game. I thought the rest of the game, we did a lot of things well, but that was unfortunate.”

Workman — lauded for his defense this spring — committed three errors in 10 chances at third base. Adding Lopez should help solidify the Cubs’ defense and provide a platoon option at the hot corner.

Counsell had used a platoon at third base since the Cubs optioned top prospect Matt Shaw to Iowa last week. Workman, veterans Jon Berti and Justin Turner, plus former top prospect Vidal Bruján, all have made appearances there since Shaw’s demotion.

Lopez was an AL Gold Glove finalist last season at second base with the Chicago White Sox. He signed a minor-league deal with the Cubs this winter, with a spring training invite, and was one of the final cuts before the team jetted off for the MLB Tokyo Series against the Dodgers.

Lopez latched on with the Los Angeles Angels, appearing in four games before being designated for assignment last week. The Naperville native figures to see time at the hot corner as the Cubs search for a solution.

“We’ll probably have a little bit of a revolving door there for a bit while we play matchups,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said before Tuesday’s game. “I would love it if one of these guys would get hot and grab more of the playing time, but in the meantime, we’ll kind of play matchups.”

Pomeranz was acquired Monday in a minor-league trade from the Seattle Mariners. He was with the Mariners on a minor-league deal and had an upward mobility clause in his deal, meaning he needed to be offered to the other 29 MLB teams and if any of them would put him on their 26-man roster, Seattle would have to add him or trade him to that team.

Pomeranz has not pitched in the majors since 2021, when he posted a 1.75 ERA in 25.2 innings before injuries curtailed his career.

“We’ve talked about getting a second lefty up regardless,” Hoyer said. “Sometimes when you only have one lefty in the bullpen, teams can make out lineups a little bit differently against you.”

Steele’s move is a procedural one, as he underwent season-ending elbow surgery last week and is looking at a year-long rehab.

Hollowell pitched two vital shutout innings for the Cubs on Tuesday with two strikeouts. That kept the Dodgers at bay and allowed the Cubs to pull off their late-game heroics.

“Gavin Hollowell kind of sticks out for me,” Counsell said after the game. “It’s two innings, and we’re trailing when it’s going on, but those are two big innings. He had two great innings and gave us a shot to do that. Went out after we scored a couple and put up a zero in the ninth.

“And it’s performances like that that give you a chance for the magic to happen.”

Fulmer, 32, was designated for assignment last week by the Boston Red Sox after he allowed three runs on four hits with one walk and two strikeouts in a 2.2-inning appearance. He was with the Cubs in 2023, pitching to a 4.42 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 58 appearances.

The former AL Rookie of the Year started that season slow, but over his final 33 appearances, he had a 2.57 ERA with eight holds, one save and 40 strikeouts in 35 innings. He was a leverage option for former Cubs manager David Ross before suffering a forearm injury that ended his season.

Fulmer underwent ulnar collateral ligament revision surgery in October 2023 and missed the entire 2024 campaign. He signed a two-year minor-league deal with the Red Sox ahead of the 2024 campaign.

He could be a bullpen option for the Cubs this season.

“I thought guys we brought in in-season [in 2024], Tyson Miller in a small trade, [right-hander Jorge] López, we signed on a minor league deal,” Hoyer said. “I just think those kinds of deals can make a big difference. And it’s not ever getting to a place of comfort with it. You just got to continue to add where you can add and try to optimize the guys you have.”