The Chicago Cubs won 4-1 Wednesday night, but they’ve lost catcher Miguel Amaya to a devastating injury. The 26-year-old made his return to the starting lineup against the Toronto Blue Jays as Amaya appeared in his first game for the Cubs since May 24, when he suffered an oblique injury. A day after coming off the 60-day injured list, Amaya was carted off with a leg injury after beating out an infield hit in the top of the eighth inning.
Amaya stumbled over the first base bag, flipped over and was immediately met by the team trainer.
The catcher was in tears as he was driven off the field in Toronto.
Amaya, who has been with the Cubs since 2015, when he signed as an international free agent, battled through a few injuries as he climbed up the minor league system as a top prospect. Amaya made it up to the majors in 2023 and after some struggles in 2024, he finally turned a corner at the plate. Prior to his oblique injury earlier in May, Amaya was helping the Cubs put up the best offensive productive out of the catcher position by recording an .819 OPS through 27 games.
Following Wednesday’s game Cubs manager Craig Counsell delivered as good of news as one could have hoped. It definitely looked like Amaya may have badly injured his knee, but it turns out that it’s a sprained ankle. Still, a trip back to the injured list will be required for the Cubs’ catcher.
The Cubs were carrying three catchers with Amaya’s return on Tuesday as Reese McGuire remained on the active roster, while Jon Berti was designated for assignment. So, the team doesn’t have to scramble for a backup catcher following Amaya’s ankle injury.
Cubs’ prospect Moises Ballesteros has been called up a few times already in 2025, and he could getting another stint in the majors to take Amaya’s spot on the 26-man roster.
