CINCINNATI — Miguel Amaya will be placed on the injured list after the Chicago Cubs catcher suffered a left oblique strain during Saturday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds.
Manager Craig Counsell said after the 6-4 loss that Amaya will undergo imaging testing in Chicago on Monday or Tuesday.
Amaya suffered the injury during the fifth inning on a throw when Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz stole second base.
“It was my normal throw to second base but it felt weird there,” Amaya said after the game. “I felt discomfort. I tried to throw again and sadly couldn’t keep in the game. It’s sad I am going to be out, I don’t know how long. We will wait for the results and see what is going on in there.”
Amaya was once one of the Cubs’ top prospects before having Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in 2021, followed by a high ankle sprain and Lisfranc fracture in his left foot one year later.
Amaya is batting .286 with four home runs and 25 RBI in 27 games. He has been splitting time with Carson Kelly behind the plate.
“He’s played well, swung the bat really well. He has a number of big hits and we’ll hope for the best,” Counsell said about Amaya.
Kelly came into the game and had two hits, including a home run off the left-field foul pole to lead off the ninth inning. Kelly is batting .301 and has nine home runs, which is third among big-league catchers.
Moisés Ballesteros or Reese McGuire will likely be called up.
Ballesteros is one of the top prospects in the Cubs’ organization and went 3 for 16 with three RBI during a recent stint in the majors.
McGuire came back to the Cubs earlier this week on a minor-league deal after being released recently.
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