Once a top Cubs prospect, Matt Mervis faces another release. The Nationals cut him after a struggling spring, marking a new chapter in his winding career.
First baseman Matt Mervis was once a top prospect in the Chicago Cubs farm system. Now, he finds himself cut once again.
The Washington Nationals signed Mervis to a Minor League deal this offseason. They took a chance on him, and the 27-year-old was in the mix to make Washington’s Opening Day roster out of Spring Training.
Following a subpar spring, though, the Nationals decided to reassign Mervis to Minor League camp ahead of Opening Day. He went 0-for-4 with one walk and one strikeout in his first Triple-A game before the team decided to move on from him.
Washington officially released Mervis from the organization on Wednesday. This comes after the first baseman went hitless in his season debut at Triple-A and only batted .250 with three RBI and five strikeouts across seven Spring Training games.
It has been a couple of rough years for Mervis. Things have gone downhill quickly for the Duke product since being highly regarded as a top prospect in the Cubs system just a few seasons ago.
The Cubs signed Mervis as an undrafted free agent after he didn’t get selected in the 2020 MLB Draft. However, he quietly worked his way up the Minor League ranks.
Ahead of the 2023 season, Mervis was listed as the Cubs’ No. 7 prospect on MLB Pipeline. That was ahead of other prospects like Ben Brown (No. 8), Owen Caissie (No. 13), Daniel Palencia (No. 14), Miguel Amaya (No. 15), and Moises Ballesteros (No. 20).
But Mervis never lived up to the hype.
He made his Major League debut in early May of 2023 and batted just .167 with three home runs, 11 RBI, and 32 strikeouts across 98 plate appearances. Mervis then hit only .115 with three RBI and eight strikeouts in 27 plate appearances with the Cubs in 2024.
His numbers also declined a bit in Triple-A during the 2024 campaign. He batted .235 with 15 home runs, 43 RBI, and four stolen bases across 350 plate appearances and had a whopping 30% strikeout rate with the Iowa Cubs that season.
Those poor numbers led the Cubs to trade Mervis to the Miami Marlins for Vidal Brujan last offseason. Even in a change of scenery, the first baseman continued to struggle. He slashed .175/.254/.383 with seven home runs, 14 RBI, and 50 strikeouts across 42 games with the Marlins.
The Marlins eventually released Mervis in early August, and the 27-year-old remained a free agent until the Nationals picked him up this offseason. Following his latest release from Washington’s organization, Mervis will now be a free agent once again.