MESA, Ariz. -- Mark Zagunis has not yet received the call to the manager's office, but all the outfielder has to do is look around the Cubs' clubhouse to know where he stands. Barring any late additions, Zagunis will be given the vacant job on the team's bench and begin the season on the Opening Day roster.

"I just get chills thinking about it," Zagunis said on Monday. "I worked really hard."

When the Cubs optioned infielder Ian Happ to Triple-A Iowa over the weekend, that opened a spot on Chicago's bench. Given all the other transactions in camp, Zagunis is the last man standing for that job. The Cubs have been impressed this spring with his aggressiveness in the batter's box, where he had already earned a reputation as a patient hitter.

There is still a chance that the Cubs look for an alternative for the last bench spot before they are required to lock in their 25-man roster for Opening Day. If not, president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said the club is comfortable with breaking camp with Zagunis as an extra outfielder capable of helping out against left-handed pitching.

"This guy's always given a really quality at-bat," Epstein said. "But, now he's healthy and he's combining his really outstanding plate discipline with the ability to drive the ball to all fields when he gets his pitch."

The 26-year-old Zagunis -- selected in the third round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Cubs -- has turned in a .276/.400/.425 slash line in five Minor League seasons, which included stints at Triple-A in each of the last three years. In '18, Zagunis dealt with a right shoulder injury that contributed to a .278 slugging percentage in May and a .264 mark in June. He rebounded with a .451 SLG and .858 OPS over the final two months.

Through 20 games this spring, Zagunis has hit .357/.440/.738 in 50 plate appearances. He said he is standing taller in the box and has raised his hands some in his stance -- two changes that have helped him lift and drive the ball more consistently.

"This is the first time probably in two years I feel back to myself, healthy," Zagunis said. "I got in good shape this offseason, made a few swing changes and I think it's going to really benefit me."

One of the benefits might be a spot on the Opening Day roster.

"He's in pretty good shape right now," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "He gets it. Obviously, when you're the GM and the president of the team, there's different things you can do right down to the very end. But, I'll say this about Mark, what I've explained to him, 'You've had the camp that everybody's told us that you're capable of.'"

Hamels goes five, flashes power

Cubs starter Cole Hamels hit a hole-in-one during a golf outing with Anthony Rizzo and a handful of other outings at the Silverleaf Club on Sunday. Then, the pitcher took Red Sox righty Rick Porcello deep in the third inning of Monday night's 3-2 win at Sloan Park.

"Rizzo, he's a little perplexed right now, just because of what's been going on," Hamels said with a laugh. "It's been fun. There's a lot of firsts there. So, hopefully we'll continue to do it. I think it's all in the right area of good things are happening and good things to come."

In his final spring start, Hamels limited Boston's regular lineup to one run on three hits over five innings, in which he struck out two, walked none and surrendered a solo homer to Andrew Benintendi. Asked if he was ready to get the regular season started, Hamels quipped: "Shoot, I don't know. I've been having a pretty good couple days here."

Maddon honors Ravizza

Maddon started Monday's workout with a meeting on the field with his players. On the ground next to him were 162 baseballs lined up to represent each game of the regular season. Baseball bats were placed throughout the line to note the start of each month. At the end, black bats broke up a group of baseballs that symbolized the 11 wins required to capture a World Series crown.

This visualization of the season was used in past springs by renowned sports psychologist Ken Ravizza, who died unexpectedly in July. Maddon wanted to honor Ravizza's memory with the presentation as the Cubs prepare to begin the season.

"I wanted to make sure the guys were aware of what Ken had done here in the past," Maddon said. "[It's] really emphasizing what it takes to get to the end."

Worth noting

• Maddon revealed that right-hander Yu Darvish is currently lined up to start Saturday's game against the Rangers, following Opening Day starter Jon Lester as the Cubs' No. 2 arm. Hamels (Sunday at Texas), righty Kyle Hendricks (April 1 at Atlanta) and lefty Jose Quintana (April 4 at Atlanta) are tentatively aligned for the next three games.

• Maddon is still weighing how to utilize the designated hitter during the first series against the Rangers. The manager noted that veteran Ben Zobrist could be worked in as a DH. If the Cubs take that approach in Thursday's opener, utility man David Bote would appear to be the logical option to start at second base.

• Right-hander Pedro Strop, who had not pitched in a spring game since March 9 due to a right hamstring issue, logged one clean inning against the Red Sox on Monday. Strop struck out Benintendi and Mookie Betts and then induced a flyout off the bat of Rafael Devers.

• The Cubs are still deciding between Randy Rosario, Kyle Ryan and Allen Webster for the lone vacancy in the bullpen.

Up next

For their final Spring Training game, the Cubs will give the start to Hendricks in a 2:05 p.m. CT clash with the Red Sox on Tuesday at Sloan Park. Boston will send lefty David Price to the mound. Chicago will have a team off-day on Wednesday prior to Thursday's season opener against the Rangers.