On Thursday, the Cubs brought up Matt Mervis, the sixth-ranked prospect in their farm system, to play first base and hit seventh in Friday's lineup against the Miami Marlins.
Some outsiders speculate this move is well overdue. Seeing as the Cubs have lost six of their last seven games, and production from Eric Hosmer has declined during that stretch, pundits have believed the call for Mervis was bound to happen.
Are the Cubs too late making the call to Triple-A for Mervis' services?
"I think you can say that," Jim Callis, senior writer for MLBPipeline.com told Parkins & Spiegel on 670 the Score. "I do this, too, a guy who likes prospects, always wants the young guys to get a chance to play. But the Cubs approach this the way a lot of teams do at the start of the season. When you have some guys who have options and other guys who don't, you don't want to sacrifice depth and then find yourself stuck."
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The Cubs signed Hosmer in the offseason as a replacement for their first base needs.
He's slashed .250/.294/.363 from the plate with 20 hits and two lowly home runs. His defense hasn't been horrid, yet not spectacular either. His defensive runs saved value (1) is reminiscent of that with a replacement-level player.
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And Mervis' glove isn't much better, either. Callis mentioned his disbelief in Mervis ever winning a gold glove during his interview. His talents come at the plate with his versatile hitting style and power.
Back to the topic at hand – is this call too late for the Cubs?
"I don't think they have let the season get away from them," Jon Morosi said on 670 the Score. "It's not too late. Could they be a little further ahead now? Yes. But this last week for them has been much more of a wake-up call than a death knell of what's going on with their competitive chances.
"And I believe that right now they've got a lot of season in front of them. And this move is happening to me at exactly the right time."
The Cubs currently sit in third place in the NL Central, owners of a 15-16 record this season.
And Callis, agrees, as he doesn't believe their best baseball is behind them.
"I think the Cubs right now are on the upswing and a lot of people around the industry think very highly of the front office," Callis said. "David Ross and the core of players that they're building."