Today, the Chicago Cubs activated catcher Yan Gomes off of the Concussion IL and optioned catcher Miguel Amaya to Triple-A Iowa.
Gomes, who has missed a little over a week after taking a backswing to the head, was playing at an extremely high level when he went down. Not only was he doing his usual outstanding work behind the plate, but he was also hitting .294/.310/.529/123 wRC+. Dude was locked in, and hopefully he’ll still be now that he’s back on the roster and in the lineup. It’s very good to have him back.
As for the Amaya part, I’m OK with it. No, it’s not because I don’t think Amaya’s presence on this team would probably improve it more than the presence of others on the bench. Instead, it’s because I believe in Amaya’s future as a possible starting or at least 1B catcher in the big leagues, and he needs regular starts to get there.
Remember, this is still effectively a promotion for Amaya, 24. He came to the big leagues from Double-A for a fill-in, and now he heads to Triple-A Iowa. He’ll be available if and when the Cubs need a reserve catcher again this year, and it’s possible, if he rakes at Iowa, that maybe the Cubs decide in August or September that they just want him up the rest of the way.
Bonus in this: with Amaya off to Iowa instead of Tennessee, Pablo Aliendo can get regular starts behind the plate for the Smokies and continue his breakout.