Former Florida shortstop [autotag]Josh Rivera[/autotag] — who has made it up to Double-A — is swapping organizations after being included in a trade between the Chicago Cubs and Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday.
The Cubs are getting Blue Jays right-handed pitcher Nate Pearson in exchange for Rivera and fellow prospect Yohendrick Pinango, according to the MiLB transaction logs.
The Cubs selected Rivera in the third round of the 2023 draft, sending him to rookie ball for all of three games before a direct promotion to High-A South Bend.
He posted a .250/.320/.402 slash line with two home runs and 12 runs batted in over 25 games in High-A. The Cubs moved him up to Double-A Tennessee to start 2024, but he’s struggled at the plate — .169/.277/.260 slash line with four homers and 16 RBIs over 219 at-bats (68 games).
Fortunately, Rivera’s best tool is his defense, which should keep him afloat at shortstop for a while. Getting above the Mendoza Line (.200) is a must to stay in the everyday lineup in Double-A but he still has time to develop at 23 years old. A change of scenery could do the trick for him.
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