The Chicago Cubs have an opportunity to expand the career opportunities of an infielder or lose him off the roster.
Third baseman Gage Workman has taken the opportunity to grow as a player after being a Rule 5 selection. If the Cubs don't give him a spot on the 40-man roster, Workman must be offered back to the Detroit Tigers.
Workman has shown that not only does he have a legitimate shot at making a 40-man roster, but he also has a chance to start at third base.
The team's starting second baseman, Nico Hoerner, has not fully recovered from surgery on a flexor tendon injury that occurred on October 11. He has shown improvement but is still not expected to travel with the team when they face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2025 Tokyo Series on March 18.
That leaves an opportunity for Workman to work his way into the starting competition for the third baseman position along with Vidal Brujan. Workman has had an impressive spring training and has been receiving compliments from manager Craig Counsell, who spoke to MLB.com's Jack Magruder about the unique situation.
"He's probably in the toughest situation of anybody coming into camp. It's a brand-new organization. You know what the Rule 5 pick means and I think he has handled it with a lot of maturity."
In nine spring training games and 22 at-bats, Workman has accumulated four runs (two of them home runs), eight hits, eight RBIs, 15 total bases, three walks, one stolen base, and no strikeouts.
He has a batting average of .364, an on-base percentage of .423, and a slugging percentage of .682. Workman could be one of the Cubs' biggest and most surprising additions this offseason.
