Before Saturday's game against the Kansas City Royals at Wrigley Field, the Chicago Cubs announced a pair of roster moves. The club designated catcher Tucker Barnhart for assignment and recalled infielder Miles Mastrobuoni from Triple-A Iowa.
Tuckered Out
Unfortunately for Barnhart, he's an aging defense-first catcher without a place on this Cubs team. The North Siders already have two quality defensive catchers, Yan Gomes and Miguel Amaya.
Gomes has come up with clutch hits at times this season and handled the pitching staff well. The front office and coaching staff likely wanted to see Amaya take the responsibilities part-time for an extended period before cutting ties with Barnhart. That could be a big reason this move didn't happen sooner. Also, Marcus Stroman, now out indefinitely with a rib injury, might have played into this decision. Barnhart often caught Stroman's starts.
The 32-year-old had a great career as a defensive catcher, winning two gold gloves. However, he's a liability at the plate with a 47 OPS+ and only one home run in 44 games.
Conversely, Miguel Amaya has a 103 OPS+ and 113 wRC+. Gomes, who has started most of the games this season, has a 97 OPS+ and 98 wRC+. Gomes also has plenty of playoff and winning experience. He's played in two World Series (winning in 2019 with the Washington Nationals) and has been a part of multiple Cleveland postseason runs.
Amaya has a better pop time than Gomes and Barnhart and has the best strike rate of the three catchers. Forcing Barnhart to get playing time once every five days or so seems like malpractice when he's practically an automatic out at the dish, and there are two very capable catchers needing playing time.
Miles Returns to MLB
Bringing back infielder Miles Mastrobuoni as the corresponding move gives the Cubs plenty of depth in the infield. He was an unfortunate option back to Triple-A when the Cubs needed room to recall Nick Madrigal on July 29.
The 27-year-old struggled early in the year, making many question why he was getting so much playing time. However, in Mastrobuoni's most recent stint with the big league club, he slashed .324/.375/.432 in 13 games.
The Cubs look more well-rounded following this decision. Mastrobuoni can play multiple positions. Since his demotion, he's gotten on base in each of the 12 starts he's made for Triple-A Iowa.
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