The Chicago Cubs have a bit of a problem as they are going to be without Victor Caratini for at least a couple of weeks.
The team's backup catcher had a big hit on Thursday night, then he got a big break. It wasn't the kind of break most ballplayers are looking for. In fact, it's the kind of break that can derail a season that had quite a bit of personal promise.
While it isn't a guarantee that Caratini is going to be out for more than a few weeks, most experts tend to think that the kind of injury he suffered on Thursday night is the kind that will take at least a month to recover from.
That darn Hamate bone
In the seventh inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Caratini swung at the first pitch from Francisco Liriano. He felt something snap or crack in that swing, but was able to finish his at-bat. He finished the at-bat by hitting a double to right field that drove in the Cubs' second run.
After the game, Caratini told the assembled media that he knew something was wrong almost right away. "I felt it crack, but I felt hot, so I kept going and once I got to second base and took my batting glove off, I could tell there was something wrong," he said.
Chicago had the backup catcher take x-rays on Thursday night and they did indeed find that something was wrong. He's expected to have a CT scan today.
He might have in fact already had the CT Scan. Once they find out the extent of the damage to the hand, the Cubs will know just how long he's going to be out.
It appears to be a broken hamate bone, which is frustrating because it will take a while to heal and can certainly become reinjured again if a player tries to come back too soon.
There is also the issue that it is his catching hand, meaning he's going to need to use it to hit, but also to catch more than 100 pitches per game. That complicates things.
Chicago Cubs could be in the market for a veteran catcher once again
The team spent most of the offseason looking for a backup catcher for Willson Contreras.
Someone who was better at defense than either Contreras or Caratini. They didn't manage to land that player over the winter. It's possible that they will renew their hunt now that they have a more desperate need for one.
The Cubs are going to be calling up a catcher for the short term at the very least. They haven't said who they will be bringing up just yet, it makes sense that it would be Taylor Davis. He has been the guy who has gotten the call in the past as the third catcher on the 40 man roster.
It's also known that he is not the solution for the long term. There had been a lot of talk about getting Willson Contreras more rest in 2019. With Taylor Davis backing him up, as opposed to Victor Caratini, the Chicago Cubs are not going to feel all that confident about giving Contreras days off at all.