Few players have ever experienced a year quite like the one Nicky Lopez just endured. From the start of spring training to the close of the World Series, the veteran utility infielder switched uniforms six times, suited up for four different organizations, and inked three separate contracts with the Chicago Cubs alone.

In many ways, the Cubs became his unofficial hub — a place he kept returning to even after repeated releases and designations.

Though he never made Chicago’s postseason roster, Lopez remained on standby throughout October, ready to step in if an injury struck the infield. With the season now in the rearview mirror, the 30-year-old is once again a free agent.

On November 6, he formally elected minor-league free agency, a transaction that only recently appeared on the official league ledger.

Trying to summarize Lopez’s 2025 in a tidy narrative is nearly impossible, but the timeline tells the story:

February: Signed a minor-league pact with the Cubs. 

Late March: Released at the end of camp. 

Early April: Landed a big-league deal with the Los Angeles Angels and spent roughly a month on their active roster. 

Late April: Designated for assignment by the Angels. 

May: Returned to the Cubs on another major-league contract, appeared in a handful of games, then was DFA’d again.

After that second DFA, Lopez never resurfaced in the majors. Instead, he bounced around Triple-A affiliates, signing minor-league contracts with the Arizona Diamondbacks, the New York Yankees, and finally the Cubs for a third time. In total, he changed clubhouses six times in a single calendar year.

The on-field results were modest at the big-league level — just one hit in 24 at-bats split between the Cubs and Angels — but he showed he can still rake in Triple-A, posting a .267 average and .352 on-base percentage across 70 games while adjusting to three different teams’ systems and cities.

Once a dependable everyday player for Kansas City early in his career, Lopez has now appeared in seven major-league seasons with the Royals, Braves, White Sox, Angels, and Cubs.

Whether an eighth big-league campaign awaits in 2026 remains to be seen, but after the whirlwind he just survived, it’s clear the well-traveled infielder still has plenty of fight left.