Injuries deplete first base depth. Catcher Miguel Amaya could step in and bring his minor league experience to the diamond.
The Chicago Cubs had their first base position figured out before the season started.
Michael Busch was going to be the team’s starter, Tyler Austin was set to be Busch’s backup after the Cubs signed him this offseason, and prospect Jonathon Long was a nice insurance policy in Triple-A.
But the Cubs are currently dealing with a few injuries to their first basemen. Austin recently underwent knee surgery that will cause him to miss months, and Long suffered an elbow sprain in Saturday's Spring Training game.
Suddenly, the Cubs have a shortage of first basemen. Busch is currently the only healthy first baseman on the 40-man roster.
While Long could be fully healthy within the next couple of weeks, Chicago is giving other players some work at first base in the meantime. Cubs insider Bruce Levine reported that Miguel Amaya has been taking some reps at first base in recent days.
Playing first base is not entirely a new position for Amaya. He spent some time at first base back in the Minors and started a bunch of games there earlier in his career.
So, the Cubs catcher could be an insurance policy at first base with Austin sidelined for the foreseeable future. The recent work there suggests that Amaya could be Busch’s backup to start the year.
Now, there is a real chance that Amaya doesn’t actually see any playing time at first base, even if he is the backup. Busch is set to be the team’s everyday starter at the position, and Craig Counsell said earlier this offseason that the slugger has earned the opportunity to start against left-handed pitching this year.
Amaya would simply be an insurance policy just in case Busch gets injured.
It’ll be interesting to see how the backup first base competition shakes out over the next few weeks. Long should return from his elbow sprain soon, and Amaya continues to see extra work at the position.
The Cubs could also turn to Moises Ballesteros to be Busch’s backup to start the 2026 campaign. Ballesteros did see two opportunities at first base late last year. The team’s plan entering the spring was always to give him extra work there.
With Austin set to miss multiple months, the most logical replacements for him at first base are Amaya, Long, and Ballesteros. All three of those players could be Busch's backup to start the season.
Of those three, Amaya could have the inside track, considering he has experience playing at the position and is already set to make the Cubs' Opening Day roster.