Miguel

Amaya

Amaya will officially head to the injured list after spraining his ankle and being carted off the field Wednesday. The 26-year-old will be out for at least two weeks, and it’s plausible the injury will keep him from playing until September. Carson Kelly and Reese McGuire will handle backstop duties with Amaya unavailable.

Amaya was carted off after stepping awkwardly on first base tonight. The Cubs kept Reese McGuire on the roster after activating Amaya on Tuesday, so he’ll be Carson Kelly’s backup. The Cubs could call up Nicky Lopez for a utility role or maybe summon Moisés Ballesteros if they’re OK with him playing a minor role.

Amaya extended his last stride to try to beat out an infield grounder and landed on the corner of the bag awkwardly, leading to what seemed to be a pretty bad injury; he had to be carted off afterwards. It was Amaya’s first game back in the lineup after he returned from a strained oblique on Tuesday.

Amaya, returning from an oblique strain, went 6-for-27 with no extra-base hits in nine games for Triple-A Iowa. Although he was very good before getting hurt, batting .280/.313/.505 in 27 games, he’ll likely see less time than Carson Kelly behind the plate for the Cubs. The team is also keeping Reese McGuire; he’d certainly be claimed on waivers if the team tried to demote him, and the Cubs want to keep him in case Amaya or Kelly goes down.

Amaya is now 5-for-16 in five games at Triple-A and should be nearing a return to the Cubs. However, neither Reese McGuire nor Carson Kelly has minor league options left, so McGuire would need to be designated for assignment to make room for Amaya.

The Cubs needed to free up a spot on their 40-man roster on Thursday, which they accomplished by moving Amaya to the 60-day IL. He has already missed more than 60 days, so this doesn’t change anything in his prognosis or his potential timeline for a return. He has been shelved since the end of May with a left oblique strain.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters Amaya is targeting around the All-Star break for a potential return. The 26-year-old backstop landed on the shelf back in late May with an oblique strain that was expected to keep him sidelined for at least 4-6 weeks.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters they’re hoping to get Amaya back prior to the All-Star break in early July. The 26-year-old backstop hit the injured list over the weekend with a left oblique strain.

Amaya has been outstanding this season for fantasy managers, hitting .280 with four homers and 25 RBI through 27 games. It’ll be Reese McGuire, not top prospect Moises Ballesteros, coming up to take his spot on Chicago’s roster.

Amaya suffered the strain while attempting to throw out Elly Da La Cruz during Saturday’s game against Cincinnati. While not official, it seems likely that Moises Ballesteros will be recalled from Triple-A Iowa to take Amaya’s place on the roster, and he should split duties with Carson Kelly behind the plate.