Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya’s MRI Tuesday on his strained left oblique revealed a likely four- to six-week timeline before he can return to playing major-league games, according to manager Craig Counsell.
“Which means we’re trying to get him back before the all star break,” Counsell said. “That’s probably the goal, see where we get to.”
Catcher Reese McGuire, who the Cubs brought up Sunday as they put Amaya on the 10-day injured list, started for the third straight game on Tuesday. Carson Kelly is expected to be the primary catcher moving forward, but he was scratched from the lineup Sunday with an illness.
Both Kelly and Amaya have been swinging hot bats to begin the season, with Kelly leading the Cubs (minimum 10 plate appearances) with a 1.037 OPS entering Tuesday, and Amaya on pace for a career offensive year in all major categories. They’ve split time evenly. As of Tuesday, Kelly had started 27 games behind the plate and Amaya 25.
“To me, a big part of both their successes were the fact that they were really well-rested, that we don’t have to lean on any one guy too much” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. “And I think that’s important, that it’s a long season, you can’t wear someone down. And I think it’s one of the challenges of our sport. … So Reese is going to have to step up because we can’t over-tax Carson early in the season”
McGuire made an immediate mark, homering twice in his Cubs debut. With a month or more to cover, continuing to make an offensive impact will be important.
An MLB-best run-scoring offense has been a large factor in the Cubs’ ability to weather injuries to their top two starters, Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga, and closer Porter Hodge.
Hoyer addresses oblique injuries
Hoyer said the team looks into the root of every injury Cubs sustain, which would identify any possible theme between oblique strains. Amaya is the fourth Cub to strain his left oblique this season. But he echoed and expanded on manager Craig Counsell’s comments this past weekend about the league-wide theme.
“We’re a rotational sport,” Hoyer said. “And I think that guys are bigger, stronger, faster than they’ve ever been, so I think that’s going to lead to rotational injuries. … The alternative to that is to not train as hard, not be as strong, not be as fast, not be as good. But that’s being weeded out of the game. So I just think that’s the nature of the way our sport is played now, and I think that does lead to more soft tissue injuries as you’re trying to optimize your body and optimize your performance.”
Seller’s market
The MLB trade deadline isn’t for another two months, but Hoyer said from his observations, it’s trending toward being a “seller’s market.”
“Ultimately, it is going to be somewhat seller’s-market dependent,” Hoyer said when asked if he’d prioritize starting pitching or bullpen help. “If there’s none of one of those things available, then you have to zag a little bit, and you have to be prepared to do that.”
Player of the week
Cubs outfielder/designated hitter Seiya Suzuki was named the National League Player of the Week. He led the majors in batting average (.480), slugging percentage (1.000) and OPS (1.552).