Well, these aren't necessarily the circumstances that you wanted to see the Chicago Cubs calling up their top catching prospect, but it appears that Miguel Amaya is on the verge of reaching the majors for the first time in his career.

Veteran catcher Yan Gomes was taken out of Monday night's series opener against the Washington Nationals in the second inning after he was hit on the helmet from a backswing in the first inning. Following the game, the team said Gomes was not officially in the concussion protocol, but he would continue to be observed and evaluated. On the Marquee Sports Network, Cubs manager David Ross said they saw enough in the dugout after the backswing struck Gomes on the head to remove him from the game. Ross also mentioned how Gomes had taken other hits to the head in recent games against the Miami Marlins.

So, you hope that Gomes will be OK in the longterm, but for now being careful with a head injury is of the outmost importance. In the meantime, this opens up a chance for Amaya, the top catching prospect in the Cubs minor league system.

According to Mark Gonzales, Amaya is on his way to DC, where the Cubs have three more games against the Nationals.

Tucker Barnhart, who came in for Gomes on Monday, is the only other catcher on the active roster. As for Amaya, he's the only other catcher on the team's 40-man roster besides Gomes and Barnhart.

There are so many fun storylines in the Cubs farm system this year and Amaya's comeback is certainly one of them. We're talking about a guy who was the team's number one prospect a handful of years ago and was considered a top-100 prospect in baseball. But since 2021, Amaya has suffered several injuries, including Tommy John surgery that helped repair his elbow, which had cost him most of the 2021 season and forced him to not catch in the 2022 season.

But now, Amaya is on the verge of getting to the majors.

Miguel Amaya's Injuries and Comeback

Amaya only played in 23 games during the 2021 season, when he first went on the injured list on June 5, and eventually the catcher was placed on the 60-day injured list in late July. Amaya did not return and during the offseason the Cubs announced that he needed Tommy John surgery. The good news was that Amaya was able to play in 2022, with the caveat that he wouldn’t be able to catch, as he was still recovering from the elbow surgery.

And hey, Amaya looked pretty good at the plate last season, getting back on the field in the Arizona League during the summer before he was assigned to Double-A. In 28 games with the Tennessee Smokies, Amaya slashed .278/.379/.485, with four home runs and a 12% walk rate in 116 plate appearances. But even his success last year came with a couple hiccups, as Amaya missed time because of a dislocated finger and then he wasn’t able to play in the Arizona Fall League because he suffered a Lisfranc fracture in his left foot in September.

Now, in 2023, Amaya is showing that once healthy he is a legit prospect. So far in 13 games at Double-A, the right-handed hitting catcher has a slash line of .273/.411/.659, with four home runs and five doubles. Amaya has started 11 games behind the plate for the Tennessee Smokies this year.

There is also the scenario in which Amaya is heading to DC just in case the Cubs need a catcher. Again, the team itself has not officially announced a roster move, but we will obviously know before the start of Tuesday's game.