The Chicago Cubs entered the 2025 MLB regular season with top prospect Matt Shaw as the Opening Day third baseman.

But, his struggles early on led to the team making a surprising move, optioning him to Triple-A so that he could get back into a groove.

While he was down on the farm, the Cubs went through several players at third base in an effort to replace him.

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One of the players they tried at the hot corner was veteran Nicky Lopez.

He made five starts for Chicago at third base, appearing in 14 games overall, before being granted free agency.

Lopez struggled with the Cubs, recording only one hit in 18 at-bats while drawing four walks.

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Between that and an 0-for-6 performance with the Los Angeles Angels earlier in the year, the veteran infielder has a woeful .042/.179/.042 slash line this season.

But, he will be looking for another franchise to latch on with after triggering an opt-out clause in his contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

As shared by Robert Murray of FanSided, Lopez is set to hit the open market as the Diamondbacks have seemingly made up their mind already not to add him to their 40-man roster.

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With Triple-A Reno, Lopez had a .267/.303/.317 slash line through 109 plate appearances.

His contact skills are above-average with an 8.3% strikeout rate, but he offers virtually zero power at the plate and possesses an underwhelming walk rate of 4.6%.

A defensive-minded player who can handle shortstop, second base and third base, with cameos in the Big Leagues at first base and left field, a contending team could value his glove enough to bring him aboard as a late-game replacement.

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