Cactus League games may not count in the real standings, but there are some players who will earn jobs while others lose them during spring training. The Cubs have a few position battles that they have to sort through in the next three weeks before Opening Day and after a week of spring training games a few players are separating themselves from the rest.

Edwin Rios Trending Up

Left-handed hitter Edwin Rios was signed late this offseason by the Cubs and he’s quickly showing the team why he deserves one of the roster spots on Opening Day. You can even argue that Rios may end up earning himself a starting job by the end of March.

Rios hit his second home run of spring training on Tuesday against the Texas Rangers, adding a single in his second at-bat.

Rios was already in the infield mix coming into camp and his chances of making the team increased with Seiya Suzuki’s injury. Suzuki is dealing with an oblique strain and although the team hasn’t placed a timetable for his return, it’s expected that Suzuki won’t be ready by Opening Day.

Without Suzuki, Trey Mancini might be one of the players filling in at right field for him, which then opens up plate appearances at designated hitter. Not only could Rios slide into the DH role, he can also play both corner infield positions.

In his last four spring training games, Rios is 4-for-9, with two home runs and a triple, driving in three runs.

Injuries have slowed Rios down during the past few years as he underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in 2021. Despite that though, Rios got off to a hot start in 2022, hitting seven home runs and posting a 120 wRC+ in 92 plate appearances through the first couple of months with the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, Rios went down with a hamstring injury in early June and was never called back up by the Dodgers after he recovered later in the summer.

Rios has flaws of course, striking out 32 percent of the time in the majors, but he has a lot of power, slugging 20 home runs in 291 career plate appearances in parts of four seasons with the Dodgers. His overall numbers may not look great, but that’s attributed to his 2021 results. Otherwise, Rios has consistently put up strong numbers in the power department at the big-league level.

You’re not going to find a lot of power, especially from the left side of the plate on the Cubs roster.

At this point, it appears as though first base prospect Matt Mervis will begin the regular season at Triple-A Iowa. Besides him, only Ian Happ and Cody Bellinger can give the lineup some left-handed power. Rios can give a big boost in the middle of the batting order and if he continues to hit and stay healthy throughout spring training, then there shouldn’t be any reason he’s not on the team and getting regular playing time to begin the 2023 season.