Quick. Name the position at which the Chicago Cubs would experience the most severe downgrade on the current roster if the starter went down with injury.
*Jeopardy Music*
Correct. It’s catcher. And Geovany Soto has a strained left groin muscle.
Soto apparently was hurt during Matt Holliday’s at-bat in the Cardinals’ first. The Cubs catcher came up limping after a foul ball by Holliday. Soto was lifted for pinch-hitter Koyie Hill in the Chicago first.
“He did the splits to block a ball in the first inning, and the splits were not good,” Cubs manager Mike Quade said. “We need to be careful with this.” cubs.com.
Soto will have an MRI today, and, at a minimum, is going to miss a few days. The Cubs had catching prospect Welington Castillo pulled from the AAA Iowa lineup yesterday, and he might be on his way to Chicago in case the Cubs decide to put Soto on the disabled list.
Soto hasn’t quite been himself offensively this year, but Koyie Hill is never going to produce on a level near Soto’s worst days. Still, pitchers, for whatever reason, love throwing to him. So, even if Castillo joins the team, you can probably expect Hill to be the starter during Soto’s absence.