Jed Hoyer Says Brennen Davis, Miguel Amaya ‘Probably Unlikely’ to See MLB Action This Season

Though it wouldn’t have been a topic even two weeks ago, there was growing optimism among Cubs fans that they might get a look at two of the club’s top prospects in Chicago this season. Miguel Amaya missed most of last season due to forearm issues and subsequent elbow reconstruction had him out of action until July this year. Brennen Davis started out very slowly for Iowa due to sciatica-like symptoms that required a corrective procedure, but he’s resumed baseball activities and plans to play again this season.

Given how poorly the Cubs have played this season, it seemed plausible that one or both of them could at least get a cup of coffee. I mean, we can hope, right? Wrong, according to Jed Hoyer.

“With Miguel Amaya, he’s been hitting great in Tennessee, but he’s not going to be ready defensively to do that,” Hoyer told 670 The Score’s Mully & Haugh Show Thursday. “So it’s unlikely that we would do that, since he can’t catch. And then with Brennen, it’s been a strange year for him. There’s been good news and bad news throughout the course of the year with his injury. The good news is that the surgery that he had was not on his discs, and so really, it’s something we expect a completely full recovery from.

“We need to get him back and get him the at-bats that he lost in the minor leagues, and then hopefully we’ll figure out what he can do this fall to make sure that he didn’t (slow) his development by not getting enough plate appearances. But I mean listen, the future is really bright for both guys. And I do think that it’s exciting to me so many good things have happened in the farm system this year, and two of our best prospects in Amaya and Brennen have been hurt. And even with that, I think we really think we’ve seen great advances. The future is bright for those guys, but I think it’s probably unlikely to be in Chicago this year.”

Okay, yeah, I guess it makes sense that you don’t want to promote a catcher who can’t play the position and an outfielder who’s only got 783 total professional plate appearances. It was a very long shot at best, particularly given each player’s general lack of experience, but it’s still mildly disappointing.

Hoyer did seem to indicate, however, that Davis could get some time in the Arizona Fall League, which would be a great way for him to accumulate some more ABs and perhaps build his confidence ahead of 2023 spring training. Amaya’s main goal at this point is to get his elbow strength back to the point where he can play his position again.

The Cubs have had a great year so far in terms of development and the system is as deep as we’ve seen it in a long time, maybe ever. Getting these two back and performing at a high level would have a tremendous impact on the organization’s pipeline.