Chicago Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya could lose playing time in 2025 after the club added veteran Carson Kelly at the position this offseason to give manager Craig Counsell flexibility to distribute playing time more evenly, as opposed to a traditional starter-backup setup, according to MLB.com. Amaya turns 26 in March and posted a nice .760 OPS in the second half in 2024, but he also hit just .163 with a .463 OPS against left-handed pitching and has room to grow as an everyday catcher. Meanwhile, Kelly hit .302 with an .807 OPS in 49 plate appearances against lefties last year. "Look, Miguel showed at times last year, he deserves and he should be the guy," Counsell said. "And other times he's shown us he needs a break. And so I think Miguel is going to still have the opportunity to be a guy that is a regular contributor." Those expecting Amaya to take the next step in 2025 might want to temper expectations.
Chicago Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya is out of the starting lineup ahead of Monday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies. This appears to be a regular rest day for Amaya, who smacked a home run during Sunday's game. In his absence, Christian Bethancourt will be behind the plate and bat eighth versus right-hander Aaron Nola. Bethancourt has been great during his short period with the Cubs. Through 22 games, Bethancourt is hitting .306 with three home runs and 15 RBI on the North Side.
Chicago Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya will start Friday's contest on the bench at Wrigley Field against the Washington Nationals in the second game of a four-game series. Christian Bethancourt will do the catching for right-hander Jameson Taillon and will bat out of the nine-hole versus Nationals right-hander Trevor Williams. In his first full big-league season, Amaya has slashed .227/.286/.347 with a below-average .633 OPS, seven home runs, 43 RBI, 29 runs scored, 22 walks and 60 strikeouts in 111 games played and 341 trips to the plate. The long season has apparently worn him down, too, as he's gone 5-for-37 (.135) with a double, triple, six RBI and five strikeouts in 15 games in the final month of the regular season. DFS gamers should be able to find better sleeper options at catcher than Bethancourt, who has hit .203 (26-for-128) on the year with five homers and 22 RBI.
Chicago Cubs third baseman Isaac Paredes and catcher Miguel Amaya are not in the starting nine on Saturday afternoon as the Cubs continue a three-game set against the New York Yankees. The third baseman is in the midst of a rough 2-for-17 slide since the start of the month, while Amaya has tallied just one hit since September 1. As a result, Patrick Wisdom will cover the hot corner and bat in the eight-hole, and Christian Bethancourt will be behind the dish batting ninth. Fantasy managers should expect Paredes and Amaya to return to the starting nine tomorrow as they are scheduled to face Yankee ace, Gerrit Cole. Both Wisdom and Bethancourt could be sneaky plays in DFS this afternoon as they will face Clarke Schmidt who will be making his return to the mound after not pitching since May due to a strained lat.
Chicago Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya had a great day at the plate Monday as his team blew out the Pittsburgh Pirates 18-8. Amaya, batting from the nine spot in the order, went 4-for-5 with two doubles and four RBI. The 25-year-old has been a productive hitting catcher for the Cubs all season but has really taken his game to the next level as of late. Since the All-Star break, Amaya is slashing .342/.381/.570 with four homers and 17 RBI over 26 games. Amaya has hit well enough recently to be considered adding in two-catcher or deep-league formats.
Chicago Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya had a big night at the plate on Thursday, going 3-for-4 with a grand slam in a 10-2 clobbering of the Detroit Tigers. Amaya also smacked an RBI single later in the game to bring his total RBI's to five. The backstop is now slashing .221/.277/.333 with 20 runs, six homers, and 29 RBI in 249 at-bats on the season. Needless to say, this game is an anomaly for Amaya, who doesn't need to be rostered in any fantasy leagues. Nevertheless, this was an excellent game for the 25-year-old.
Chicago Cubs catching prospect Miguel Amaya is not in Friday's lineup as the Cubs and Cardinals will face off for the second game of a four-game set. Amaya got the starting nod on Thursday evening for the opening game of the series. Across his past five games, the young backstop has tallied only one hit but posted a seven-game hitting streak prior to this cold stretch. As a result, Christian Bethancourt will slot in behind the dish and catch for Javier Assad. With Tomas Nido (knee) sidelined, fantasy managers should expect Amaya and Bethancourt to split catching duties in the Northside, with Amaya getting a slight majority. Bethancourt is best to leave out of your DFS lineup this afternoon as he will face right-hander Erick Fedde who will make his St. Louis debut. He performed quite well with the White Sox earlier this season, carrying a solid 3.11 ERA and 1.14 WHIP.
Chicago Cubs rookie catcher Miguel Amaya will draw the start behind the plate on Friday to catch left-hander Justin Steele, and he'll bat ninth in the lineup against St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Jack Flaherty. Yan Gomes will serve as the designated hitter and bat seventh. Amaya has essentially become the Cubs' No. 2 catcher over Tucker Barnhart, and he's hitting .271 (19-for-70) with two home runs, four doubles, 13 RBI and 10 runs scored in his first 26 big-league games over 86 plate appearances. The 24-year-old has little DFS appeal at the bottom of Chicago's order, though, and he's still only worth considering in deep two-catcher fantasy leagues.
Chicago Cubs rookie catcher Miguel Amaya (hand) is out of the starting lineup for Monday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. This is a bit concerning after Amaya was hit by a pitch in the hand during Sunday's game. It's possible the Cubs are just giving Amaya an extra day to rest. Fantasy managers should stay tuned for more news in case Amaya does end up going to the injured list. Yan Gomes will do the catching and bat eighth versus right-hander Osvaldo Bido on Monday.
Chicago Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya put together a strong performance at the plate during Sunday's game against the San Diego Padres. The 24-year-old went 3-for-3 and blasted his first career home run in the 7-1 victory. Amaya crushed a 415-foot two-run blast off right-hander Drew Carlton in the third inning to make it 7-0. He drew the start at designated hitter, while Yan Gomes did the catching. The Cubs could put Amaya there more often, assuming he keeps hitting like this. The hope is that Amaya can be the Cubs catcher of the future, but injuries have held him back. He appears healthy now, so we'll see what he can do.
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