Justin Steele to IL, Miguel Amaya Recalled

You can see the press release below for additional details, most of which you already know, but I just want to say that I’m a little concerned about Justin Steele going on the IL. The Cubs have said his forearm strain is minor and the evidence we’re privy to suggests that’s true, so maybe this is just a matter of ensuring they don’t play a man down. And not calling up a pitcher indicates they expect to have Steele back after a minimum stay on the shelf.

Please let that be the case.

The Chicago Cubs today placed left-handed pitcher Justin Steele on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to June 1) with a left forearm strain and recalled catcher Miguel Amaya from Triple-A Iowa.

Amaya, 24, begins his second stint with the Cubs as he was recalled from Double-A Tennessee May 2 and made his major league debut, appearing in six games while batting .231 (3-for-13) with two RBI, before he was optioned to Iowa May 10.

The right-handed hitting Amaya has combined to bat .294 (27-for-92) with 10 doubles, five home runs, 18 RBI, 19 walks, a .431 on-base percentage and a .996 OPS in 28 games between Tennessee and Iowa. He is 13-for-29 (.448) with a 1.265 OPS against left-handed pitching and has a .321 average (9-for-28) with runners in scoring position.

In parts of seven seasons in the Cubs farm system, Amaya has recorded a .246 batting average (368-for-1,496) with 91 doubles, four triples, 39 home runs, 197 walks and 211 RBI in 422 games starting with the Cubs Dominican Summer League team in 2016. He was selected to both the 2018 and 2019 MLB Futures Games and reached Double-A for the first time in 2021.

Amaya missed time in 2021 due to a right forearm strain suffered in June before he underwent Tommy John surgery that offseason. He returned to the field in July of 2022 and went on to bat .278 (27-for-97) with six doubles, one triple, four home runs, 19 RBI and a .379 on-base percentage with Tennessee.

A native of Chitre, Panama, the six-foot tall Amaya was signed by the Cubs as a non-drafted free agent in 2015. In 2019, he was ranked by MLB.com as the Cubs top prospect and the No. 7 catching prospect in major league baseball. He remained in the Cubs top-five prospect rankings through 2021.

Steele, 27, is 6-2 with a 2.65 ERA (20 ER/68.0 IP) in 12 starts for the Cubs, having walked 16 and struck out 58. He has gone his last 49.0 innings without allowing a home run.