Nicky Lopez had been watching the Cubs' hot start from afar — now he's back

Utility player Nicky Lopez was at home in Arizona on Tuesday night — eating dinner, then watching the Cubs’ thrilling walk-off win in extra innings against the Dodgers — when the opportunity to rejoin the organization unfolded.

“Just to be able to get that call yesterday: ‘Hey, we have a spot open for you; would you like it?’ And I’m like, I would be stupid not to accept it,” Lopez said Wednesday in front of his new locker at Wrigley Field before the Cubs’ 7-6 victory against the Dodgers.

“So I’m so happy to be here. It’s been a dream of mine to be in this clubhouse. You guys heard me say it in spring training. So just to be able to fulfill that dream has been special.”

The Cubs (16-10) announced Wednesday that they’d signed Lopez to a one-year contract, as they continue to search for a solution at third base.

Lopez had signed with the Angels for $850,000 in late March when the Cubs released him. He rejected an outright assignment earlier this week and elected free agency.

The Cubs designated rookie third baseman Gage Workman for assignment to make room for Lopez.

Because they acquired Workman through the Rule 5 Draft, they have to expose him to waivers, then offer him back to the Tigers.

The Cubs still see top prospect Matt Shaw as the long-term answer at the position. But while he’s in Triple-A working out of a slump, the Cubs are taking a by-committee approach.

Lopez joins Vidal Brujan, Justin Turner and Jon Berti, who got the start at third base Wednesday.

“You’re going to see multiple third basemen in the game on a day-to-day basis,” manager Craig Counsell said. “And I think Nicky fits and is able to execute that profile.”

When Lopez signed a non-roster-invitee deal with the Cubs in the offseason, he also saw a mutual fit.

After playing for the White Sox in their historically bad 2024 season, he prioritized winning over playing time. And the Naperville native liked the idea of playing for his other hometown team.

“It was one thing telling [my family and friends] that I was going to spring training with the Cubs,” he said.

“This one’s a little bit different just because it’s kind of real now. I’ll be putting on a big-league uniform. I’ll be in the third-base dugout.”

Lopez said he has watched a lot of Cubs games this season, checking up on the group he got to know this spring.

“They’ve been going through the gauntlet,” he said of the team’s early schedule. “And for them to be able to do what they’re doing has been really, really special to see.”

This was the Cubs’ seventh and last regular-season game against the Dodgers.

Of the Cubs’ 26 games, 20 have been against the National League West’s three-headed monster of the Dodgers, Padres and Diamondbacks.

They’ve gone 11-9 against that formidable trio.

After watching the first game of the two-game series on TV, Lopez had a closer view of the back-and-forth battle.

The Cubs fought back from behind twice with a three run homer and RBI single from Pete Crow-Armstrong, a bases-loaded hit from Dansby Swanson and a sacrifice fly from Nico Hoerner.

While Cubs starting pitcher Matthew Boyd allowed six runs, three of which were unearned, a reliever trio of Daniel Palencia, Julian Merryweather and Porter Hodge combined to hold the Dodgers’ lineup at bay the rest of the way.

With closer Ryan Pressly unavailable — he had his right knee drained Tuesday night, Counsell said, but he’s hopeful Pressly will be back Friday — Hodge finished the game for a second consecutive night. He earned his first save of the season.

With the victory, the Cubs claimed the season series against the Dodgers.