The Cubs shutout the Pirates 2-0 to win the series on Thursday, but it sounds like they're going to be missing one of their hottest hitters for a while.
Victor Caratini has been a pleasant surprise through the first couple weeks of the season, entering Thursday's game 6-for-11, with a home run, double and three walks. He went 2-for-3 in the series finale with two more extra base hits, including an RBI-double in the eighth inning to make it 2-0.
Yet, reports after the game indicate Caratini will be out at least 3-4 weeks with a fractured hamate bone in his hand. He suffered the injury in his last at-bat, when he drove in the second run for the Cubs.
Caratini is hoping he'll only be out for 3-4 weeks, but usually a hamate bone fracture means a couple months of recovery.
That's one of the worst injuries you can get as a hitter, as it really drains all your power at the plate.
Caratini will go on the injured list before Friday's series opener against the Angels. For the time being, Taylor Davis will be the back up catcher to Willson Contreras.
Davis, 29, is the only other catcher on the Cubs 40-man roster. The right-handed hitter has a career .281/.349/.405 slash line 572 minor league games. He's played in 13 MLB games during the past two seasons and has five hits in 18 at-bats.
Depending on how serious the injury ends up being, expect the Cubs to go out and add another catcher.
