ST. LOUIS — The whirlwind start to Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya’s major-league career didn’t afford him any time to slow down.
Easing back from a Lisfranc fracture in his left foot and Tommy John surgery before that, Amaya was called up from Double-A Tennessee earlier than expected when veteran catcher Yan Gomes suffered a concussion last season.
Then he had to adjust to a new level and a major-league pitching staff on the fly.
Last week, the Cubs made space for him to take a breather to focus on his swing.
“We know that it’s in there for him, and he knows that he’s a better offensive player than what he showed,” hitting coach Dustin Kelly said. “So knowing that part of it is reassuring.”
Knowing Amaya’s makeup, offensive peaks in his rookie season and minor-league track record, the team had expected his offensive production to rise eventually. Plus, Gomes, whom the Cubs released last month, also was having a down offensive season.
“Miguel has struggled,” manager Craig Counsell said. “There’s no other way to say it: He’s struggled. And so at some point, for the player and really for the coaches, it’s like, we’ve got to try something different. And that’s really the point that we reached.”
Amaya had won the No. 1 catching job with his work behind the plate and management of the pitching staff. He entered Saturday ranked No. 6 in the majors in blocks above average (5), according to Statcast — five passed balls (a couple in big situations) aside.
Right-hander Kyle Hendricks has been especially vocal about Amaya’s impact, pointing to his game-calling as a major factor in his own turnaround.
“There’s always a small window that I can get to work on [hitting],” Amaya said. “But my main stuff is, take care of my pitchers, do my homework and be ready with a plan when we meet to go out there.”
The balance in his pregame routine makes sense, considering the position is unique in its demands. And a catcher has more opportunities to affect the game on defense than offense.
“Even for catchers that are rolling and having really great offensive seasons . . . they’re spread so thin that when you get them, you don’t always have a lot of time,” Kelly said.
By July 4, Amaya’s batting average had dropped to .186. And though former Mets catcher Tomas Nido hadn’t provided the offensive boost the Cubs had hoped for, his transition into the organization was going smoothly on the defensive side. So the Cubs decided it was time for an intervention.
They identified Amaya’s timing as the root of the issue. He had toyed with widening his stance on and off earlier in the season, Kelly said. But the Cubs gave him off from July 4 to July 6, and he committed to a wide stance with a no-stride load — lifting his front heel instead of using a leg kick.
“A couple of years ago, that was my two-strike-approach stance,” Amaya said, “so it wasn’t new for me at all.”
His 10 at-bats since the mini-break weren’t enough to judge the effectiveness of the adjustment going into the Cubs’ doubleheader against the Cardinals on Saturday. But immediate results help reinforce confidence in the process. Amaya had two hits in his first game back, and on Friday in St. Louis, he had two line-drive singles and a sacrifice bunt. He continued the good run with a two-run homer in the second game of the twin bill.
“So far, it’s feeling good,” Amaya said before the game Friday. “It’s something that I’ve just got to transfer to the game and go out there and compete with that.”
Amaya doesn’t have to rank among the Cubs’ best hitters. But if he can get on base at the bottom of the order to extend rallies, that immediately boosts the Cubs’ run-scoring potential.
“Whether this is it or it leads us to the next place that might get us to a good place, you don’t know,” Counsell said. “But sometimes you’ve just got to try for the next thing.”
