Cubs Call Up Promising Prospect Under Unfortunate Circumstances

Well, it’s not like I wasn’t expecting this, but they’re still sounding optimistic about it so we’ll see. The Chicago Cubs have decided to place left-handed starting pitcher Justin Steele on the 15-day injured list. 

Earlier this week, Steele experienced discomfort in his throwing arm during his start against the Tampa Bay Rays. Following Wednesday’s game, Steele and manager David Ross didn’t seem too worried about the forearm tightness. 

However, following an MRI on Thursday, the Cubs did find a mild forearm strain in Steele’s left arm. The pitcher tested it out on Saturday prior to the team’s second game against the San Diego Padres, hoping not to miss his next scheduled start. Yet, the chances of Steele not missing any time were always low and the Cubs aren’t risking any further damage to their star left-handed starter. 

Young catcher Miguel Amaya has been called up from Triple-A Iowa to take Steele’s spot on the 26-man active roster. 

Meanwhile, right-handed a starting pitcher Hayden Wesneski, who was called up from Triple-A last week and was going to be used out of the bullpen, will now fill in for Steele in the starting rotation until the lefty returns.

Wesneski came in relief of Steele on Wednesday and pitched well in his first appearance with the Cubs since his demotion to Iowa in May. The 25-year-old only gave up a single and walked a pair in 3.2 innings, striking out four batters and showing much better control of his pitches than during his first stint up in the majors when he earned the fifth starter role out of spring training.

As for Amaya, it’s great that he’s back up in the majors, but I bet the Cubs wish it was under better circumstances. He was called up to the big leagues for the first time in his career in early May after veteran catcher Yan Gomes was placed on the concussion injured list.

Although Amaya didn’t put up great results in his first cup of coffee in the majors, going 3-for-13 at the plate, the 24-year-old was working great at-bats and was consistently making hard contact. The young catching prospect also earned quick praise from the pitching staff when he was up.

Amaya was sent down to Triple-A after he was up for about a week and the right-handed hitter didn’t miss a beat. Prior to his call up, Amaya posted a 1.070 OPS in 13 games with the Double-A Smokies. At Triple-A Iowa, Amaya has recorded a .929 OPS in 15 games.

Looking ahead, it will be interesting to see how much pressure Amaya puts on backup catcher Tucker Barnhart, who has continued to regress on offense, although he has also been praised by Cubs pitchers for his work behind the plate. Nevertheless, it’s good to have a longer look at Amaya in the majors, as he could be splitting time or even be the main starting catcher as soon as next season. Just wish Amaya wasn’t up because the Cubs are losing one of the anchors of their rotation.