Bittersweet Move as Veteran Leader Returns to Cubs

The only veteran leadership I care about inside the Chicago Cubs clubhouse comes from catcher Yan Gomes. So, it is great to see him back with team after missing a week while he was on the concussion injured list. Gomes is back and will be starting behind the plate Wednesday night against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Unfortunately, with Gomes coming back from the injured list, the Cubs are sending rookie Miguel Amaya back to the minors to make room on the big-league, 26-man roster. Amaya, 24, began the season at Double-A before he was called up last week to join the Cubs in Washington D.C. and will now join the Triple-A Iowa Cubs.

Amaya started four games with Gomes sidelined and the rookie catcher quickly earned praise from his big-league teammates. Amaya has been through a lot of injuries since 2021, and there were some doubts heading into this season whether or not he could meet his prior top-100 prospect expectations. It was only a week, but it is clear by the way Amaya prepared for games, how he called games, his defense behind the plate and giving good plate appearances on offense, that the Cubs will be seeing a lot more of Amaya in the future.

Before his first taste of the majors, Amaya was one of the best hitters with the Double-A Tennessee Smokies. In 13 games, the right-handed hitter slashed .273/.411/.659, with four home runs and five doubles. Amaya will now be going to Triple-A for the first time in his career and should be getting the majority of the starts at catcher ahead of Dom Nuñez.

As for Gomes, the Cubs haven't necessarily struggled on the mound without him, but his bat has been missed in the lower third of the batting order. Tucker Barnhart just has not been a threat whatsoever at the plate and that's not much of a surprise to anyone, as the left-handed batter carried a career .680 OPS and 80 wRC+ heading into this year. However, Barnhart has been even worse in 2023 in a backup role, slashing .182/.245/.205 in 49 plate appearances.

Prior to his stint on the concussion injured list, Gomes was performing way above expectations. The 35-year-old posted an .839 OPS in 71 plate appearances, slashing .294/.310/.529, with five home runs.

And I know this may sound silly, but the Cubs are 12-7 with Gomes playing this season compared to 5-12 without him. He has made a difference though, as the pitching staff has been better with him behind the plate opposed to Barnhart and on offense Gomes has actually been a reliable hitter.

So, Gomes is back and hopefully the Cubs get a boost from him. As for Amaya, keep an eye on him. His teammates were impressed and if Barnhart doesn't hit at all, I could see the Cubs calling up Amaya to be the backup to Gomes. Maybe that's just frustration from me, but Amaya does look like the catcher of the future for the Cubs.