MIAMI — Victor Caratini wasn't supposed to have been this big of a factor on the 2018 Cubs.
If you would've said Caratini would have four plate apperances and seven defensive innings behind the plate by the end of the Cubs' third game of the season, I would've immediately thought some ailment must be bothering Willson Contreras.
But the Cubs' star catcher is healthy, having played every inning of the 2018 campaign before Sunday's off-day.
It's just that nothing about the season's first three games has gone as planned for Joe Maddon's lineups and pitching staff.
Thanks to a 17-inning game Friday night, Caratini came in as a defensive replacement spent the last seven innings catching Eddie Butler and Brandon Morrow, with Contreras moving to left field.
Caratini also has a pair of pinch-hit appearances on the young season and is in the starting lineup in the series finale with the Marlins Sunday, giving Contreras a breather. It's only the eighth big-league start at catcher in Caratini's career (he also has three starts at first base last September).
Though Contreras entered Sunday with four times as many innings (28.2) behind the plate as Caratini, both players are tied with one caught stealing apiece as the Marlins are 0-for-2 in attempted thefts.
MLB
Caratini — acquired from the Atlanta Braves in the Emilio Bonifacio/James Russell trade at the July 2014 deadline — entered 2018 as the Cubs' No. 4 ranked prospect by Baseball America. He wasn't necessarily expected to make the team's Opening Day roster, but beat out veteran Chris Gimenez and won the spot at the end of camp.
"I'm very happy to make the roster and stay with the team," Caratini said. "Hopefully I'll stay with the team all year. I'm still working hard and doing everything I can to help the team and get as many wins as possible."
The 24-year-old got a cup of coffee in the majors last season, appearing in 31 games, mostly as a pinch-hitter. He slashed .254/.333/.356 in 66 plate appearances, which doesn't jump off the page.
But his 2017 Triple-A numbers certainly catch the eye: .342/.393/.558 slash linle (.951 OPS) with 10 homers, 27 doubles and only 48 strikeouts in 326 plate appearances.
Contreras is still expected to see the lion's share of work behind home plate, but a confident, up-and-coming Caratini is a good thing for the organization's depth.