Story by
Nationals part ways with former Cubs top-10 MLB first base prospect
- Story by
- Nationals part ways with former Cubs top-10 MLB first base prospect
Nationals part ways with former Cubs top-10 MLB first base prospect originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Washington Nationals are making a change at first base, opening the door for more playing time at first base for prospect Abimelec Ortiz .
Advertisement
Per Bobby Blanco of MASNsports.com , the NL East club released first baseman Matt Mervis on Thursday. Mervis played just one game with Washington's Triple-A affiliate before his release.
He is now free to sign with any club that shows interest.
The Duke University product was ranked as the No. 6 first base prospect by MLB Pipeline ahead of the 2024 season. That same year, he opened the season at Triple-A Iowa in the Chicago Cubs organization, despite making his Major League debut in 2023.
MORE: Terrance Gore's son honors dad with perfect first pitch
Chicago traded Mervis to the Miami Marlins two winters ago, but he struggled to gain momentum at the plate in his 47 games with the club, hitting seven home runs but striking out in an absurd 37.3% of his plate appearances.
Advertisement
"Strikeouts have been an issue his past few trips through Triple-A, however, and they've been an insurmountable obstacle for Mervis in the majors," Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors wrote Thursday.
Mervis' grandmother was born in Israel, and he represented her heritage at the past two World Baseball Classics.
