Miguel Amaya went 1-for-2 with a single in his first game with the Iowa Cubs.
After a long day of rehabbing at the Chicago Cubs’ complex in Arizona, catcher Miguel Amaya would grab some lunch, sit on his couch, turn on the television and watch his teammates go to work.
Amaya, who rented an Airbnb in Arizona, could only wait and watch as the Cubs rolled through a successful 2025 season without him.
“It was frustrating,” Amaya said.
The wait is almost over, though. Amaya took a big step in his return to the big leagues on July 29 during his first rehab game with the Iowa Cubs. He went 1-for-2 with a strikeout and a single. The catcher played five scheduled innings against Indianapolis before departing and heading to the clubhouse.
“It was amazing to be back with the boys,” Amaya said.
It has certainly been a long time coming for Amaya, who has been on the injured list since May 25 with a left oblique strain. After a second-half surge in last year, Amaya was off to a strong start in 2025, hitting .280 (26-for-93) with nine doubles, four homers and 25 runs driven in with an .818 OPS across 27 games.
The Chicago Cubs tried filling Amaya’s void with starter Carson Kelly keeping his role and veteran catcher Resse McGuire coming up from Iowa. Amaya, meanwhile, spent around a month and a half in Arizona rehabbing from his injury and trying to get back on the field as soon as possible.
“I was day-to-day,” Amaya said. “I was focused on improving my strength and my daily routine and just trusting and listening to my body.”
His body has been telling him good things. Amaya played in three games with the Cubs’ Rookie Complex League team, going 1-for-5 with a double. He then joined the Iowa Cubs on July 29 and was promptly thrown into the lineup for the Triple-A team, hitting second and playing catcher.
Amaya struck out in his first at-bat of the day, but then blooped a single off a 95.3-mile-per-hour offering into left field for a single. Amaya was replaced by Moises Ballesteros at the start of the sixth inning.
After the game, Amaya declared himself 100% healthy. But being healthy is just part of the journey as he works his way back to the big leagues. After missing so much time, he still needs at-bats and reps behind the plate so he can get back in a groove.
He isn't sure how long that will be, though. Amaya said he hasn't been told how long his rehab assignment will be. The plan is for him to be the designated hitter for Iowa's July 30 game against Indianapolis. Amaya hopes he won't be in Des Moines for too long.
"I feel good to go, but I know there is a process here and hopefully (there are) not many more days here," Amaya said.
Tommy Birch, the Register's sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He's the 2018, 2020 and 2023 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at [email protected] or 515-284-8468
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Catcher Miguel Amaya tallies hit in first rehab game with Iowa Cubs
Category: General Sports
