Cubs Star Catcher Will Be Sidelined for Next Few Weeks After MRI Results

In the midst of an outstanding offensive season, the Chicago Cubs were dealt a blow to their lineup with the injury of catcher Miguel Amaya, who suffered a left oblique strain during the Cubs' series against the Cincinnati Reds.

He was placed on 10-day injured list on Sunday and catcher Reese McGuire was called up from Triple-A Iowa.

There's now more information regarding Amaya and his potential recovery timeline after he underwent an MRI on Tuesday.

According to Maddie Lee of The Chicago Sun-Times, manager Craig Counsell said Amaya will miss the next four to six weeks, but they are eyeing getting him back before the All-Star break.

That will likely pencil McGuire in as the team's catcher for the immediate future.

While their outstanding 33-21 record gives them some wiggle room, this is still a huge loss for Chicago since Amaya has slashed .280/.313/.509 with four home runs and nine doubles.

Amaya and McGuire are roughly equal when it comes to defensive catching metrics like blocking, pop time and runs saved. But it's hard to say whose bat will be more consistent.

McGuire is slashing .286/.286/1.143, mainly because he notably hit two home runs in his first game with the Cubs. That's not sustainable, though, as he slashed .209/.280/.295 in 139 at-bats in 2024.

However, with Chicago's other electric offensive numbers, they would take that line until the All-Star break when Amaya returns.

The Cubs are currently in their series against the Colorado Rockies, where they have shown that they can win low-scoring pitching duels without running up the score.

That ability could prove helpful while they don't have access to Amaya's bat.

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