The Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals are set to conclude their first series of the season on Wednesday night at Wrigley Field. With LHP Justin Steele on the bump, he will have the team's starting catcher back behind the plate. According to the Cubs , Yan Gomes has been activated from the 7-day concussion IL.
As a result, the Cubs are sending catcher Miguel Amaya back to the minors. However, after a strong showing in his first major-league call-up, Amaya will head west to Des Moines, IA to join the Triple-A Iowa Cubs rather than return to Double-A Tennessee.
In his short stint with the Cubs, Amaya slashed .231/.313/.231 with three hits and two runs driven in. Although his numbers weren't overwhelming, he hit the ball hard and put together high-quality at-bats in six games.
As for Gomes, the veteran is having a nice offensive start to the season, slashing .294/.310/.529 with five long balls and 13 RBI. The hot start for Gomes has been welcomed in the Cubs lineup as he continues to assist the pitching staff with his solid defense behind the plate.
Minor-League Promotion
In addition to the Gomes activation, another young Cubs arm is moving up. After beginning the season with High-A South Bend, RHP Kohl Franklin is being promoted to Double-A.
Franklin spent a lot of time in High-A, as noted in the South Bend Cubs' tweet. However, his 30 K's in 19.0 innings of work show a major step forward for the flame-throwing righty. Now, he'll meet his next test as he faces Double-A competition.
Another reason to give Franklin the opportunity at Double-A is due to the recent promotion for RHP Cade Horton. The Cubs' 2022 first-round pick was lights out to begin the season in Low-A Myrtle Beach and received his promotion to High-A South Bend on Tuesday.
Overall, the Cubs have to be encouraged by the trajectory for so many of their young arms. Franklin and Horton are not the first two to move through the ranks quickly this season, showing off the level of talent the Cubs have stockpiled in the pitching department.
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