Cubs Could Lose Key Starter After Head Injury

The Chicago Cubs snapped their three-game losing streak by opening up their series against the Washington Nationals with a 5-1 win Monday night. However, the Cubs could be without catcher Yan Gomes.

The starting catcher took a blow off his helmet in the first inning, when a Jeimer Candelario backswing got Gomes behind the plate. Gomes took his at-bat in the second inning, striking out against Nationals' starter MacKenzie Gore and then was taken out of the game heading into the bottom of the second inning.

Backup catcher Tucker Barnhart came in and finished the game behind the plate. The Cubs announced that Gomes was taken out as a precautionary measure after getting hit with the backswing.

Head injuries are always scary even if it doesn't look like a major blow at first. The Cubs obviously saw something when Gomes was back in the dugout and they were proactive to protect the 12-year veteran catcher.

Gomes, 35, entered Monday's game with a .299/.314/.537 slash line, crushing five home runs in 18 games to begin the season. You obviously hope that Gomes will be OK, but if he does have to miss time, then Barnhart will have to step up in a major way.

It hasn't just been the good offensive production from Gomes that has been impressive so far in 2023, it's the way he's handled the pitching staff that has been key to the team's early success. After the month of April, Cubs pitchers recorded a 3.00 ERA throwing to Gomes in 147 innings, including 16 starts.

Meanwhile, as the backup catcher, Barnhart has made 11 starts behind the dish this year and Cubs pitchers have a 4.67 ERA throwing to him. Now, to be fair, Gomes has been with the Cubs since the 2021-22 offseason and is much more familiar with the team's pitching staff than Barnhart, who signed with the Cubs this past winter.

Following the win on Monday night, the Cubs said they will continue to evaluate Gomes. However, they said the catcher is not in the concussion protocol.

Looking ahead, if the Cubs do need to place Gomes on the injured list, then the only other catcher on the team's 40-man roster is prospect Miguel Amaya. The 24-year-old has been crushing pitchers at Double-A this season, posting a 1.070 OPS in 13 games, hitting four home runs and five doubles. The issue with Amaya, though, is that he's only caught 23 total games since the start of the 2021 season because he underwent Tommy John surgery a few years ago.

With Luis Torrens recently designated for assignment, the next man up at catcher could be Dom Núñez. The 28-year-old has played in 19 games for the Iowa Cubs at Triple-A this season. Núñez, a left-handed batter, does have MLB experience, playing in 111 games with the Colorado Rockies from 2019-21.

The good sign is that Gomes has not officially been put in the concussion protocol. Fingers crossed that he will be OK. If not, the Cubs will have to make a quick decision before Tuesday's game because Barnhart is the only other catcher on the active roster.