Cubs Catching Duo About to Take Significant Downgrade

The Cubs are about to take a significant downgrade behind the plate as catcher Miguel Amaya is headed to the injured list.

Amaya was taken out of Saturday's game against the Reds after he made a throw to second base, trying to throw out Elly De La Cruz in the fifth inning.

Following the 6-4 loss, Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters that Amaya will be placed on the 10-day injured list. Once again, the Cubs are dealing with an oblique issue.

Amaya, alongside Carson Kelly, have paired up to produce a 157 wRC+ this season, the highest mark among catchers from all 30 teams in the league. Amaya is slashing .280/.313/.505, with 4 home runs and 25 RBI this season in 27 games.

Kelly, who was a monster at the plate during the month of April, has cooled off a bit, but he's still slashing .301/.425/.612, after he went 2-for-2 off the bench on Saturday, including his 9th home run of the season. He will now player a bigger role with the Cubs during Amaya's absence.

For those thinking that Amaya's injury means catching prospect Moises Ballesteros will be called up, they'll most likely end up disappointed. It appears as though veteran backup Reese McGuire might be the one traveling to Cincinnati for the series finale on Sunday to take Amaya's roster spot.

McGuire has played in 22 games with the Iowa Cubs at Triple-A this season and was noticeably out of the starting lineup Saturday night, hinting at his promotion.

We'll see what the official move is on Sunday, but it does look like the Cubs want the experience behind the plate instead of relying on Ballesteros to start at catcher at the major-league level when he's still a work in progress defensively.

As for Amaya, he sounded pretty dejected after Saturday's game.

A brutal hit to the Cubs and for Amaya. You're talking about a guy who had to re-invent himself offensively halfway through the 2024 season and he completely turned his career around.

Hopefully the test results come back with good news. Ian Happ recently missed the minimum 10 days on the IL with a minor oblique issue, so fingers crossed that it's a similar timeline for Amaya. If not, that's a pretty significant downgrade at catcher whenever Kelly has an off day.