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.
The Chicago Cubs are expected to promote catcher prospect Miguel Amaya on Tuesday. Starting catcher Yan Gomes (head) left Monday's contest early and will continue to be evaluated after being hit in the head on a back swing. Amaya, 24, has been one of the Cubs top prospects in his young career, but injuries have caused him to miss significant time throughout the past few seasons. Thus far in 2023, he has been healthy and hit a respectful .273 with four homers and eight RBI over 44 at-bats for Double-A Tennessee. Gomes status is one to monitor before acting on Amaya, but he could see a good amount of action over Tucker Barnhart if Gomes lands on the injured list. For now, managers can take a wait-and-see approach with Amaya. With the right opportunity, he could be worth a flier in two-catcher leagues.
Chicago Cubs catching prospect Miguel Amaya, ranked No. 89 by MLB Pipeline and the team's No. 3 overall prospect, was optioned to Double-A Tennessee on Friday. Catcher Taylor Gushue was also reassigned to minor league camp, leaving veteran Jose Lobaton and P.J. Higgins as the only catchers in major league camp behind Austin Romine, who is dealing with a knee sprain, and Willson Contreras. Higgins started behind the plate on Friday and caught starting pitcher Jake Arrieta. Amaya, 22, is a promising young catching prospect that is starting to tap into his raw power from the right side of the plate. With Contreras' contract up after the 2022 season, Amaya could be ready for the full-time gig behind the dish by then.
Miguel Amaya Looking Good In Puerto Rican Winter League
Chicago Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya, the team's No. 3 prospect and No. 91 overall per MLB Pipeline, produced a .261/.533/.609 slash line with two home runs in 10 games during the Puerto Rican Winter League regular season, finishing first in on-base percentage (.553), second in OPS (1.161) and fifth in RBI (11). The 21-year-old went 2-for-3 with two doubles and three RBI in Game 4 of the semifinals to help his team finish up a four-game sweep to advance to the finals. Amaya is beginning to tap into his raw power profile at the plate and could produce 15 to 20 home runs at the major league level over a full season. With current Cubs backstop Willson Contreras potentially being dealt this offseason, Amaya's MLB debut could come sooner than later in Chicago.
