Miguel Amaya is already forcing Craig Counsell into tough Cubs lineup call

The plan for the Chicago Cubs at the start of the season was for Moises Ballesteros to have an extended run as the team's primary designated hitter. Ballesteros has hit at every level of the organization, and Craig Counsell has been an avid supporter of his hit tool. While the Cubs aren't going to sour on him based on only 22 plate appearances, he suddenly could be unseated in the starting lineup thanks to Miguel Amaya.

Ballesteros only has three hits on the season while striking out over 36% of the time. During his rise to being one of the Cubs' best prospects, Ballesteros thrived on his bat-to-ball skills. Even last season, with the Cubs at the end of the season, his strikeout rate was only 18.2%.

Ballesteros feels like one of the many Cubs' hitters who will progress back to the mean as the season continues. That being said, Amaya may be forcing an early lineup change. Near the end of last week, Craig Counsell turned to Amaya as the team's designated hitter over Ballesteros. When healthy, since the second half of the 2024 season, Amaya has proven to be an offensive threat.

Miguel Amaya needs to be in the Cubs' starting lineup for the foreseeable future.

That trend has continued to start this season. It's only been 14 plate appearances, but Amaya is slashing .417/.500/.750 with a wRC+ of 251. He made noticeable tweaks ot his batting stance at the end of the 2024 season, and since then, he's been a different hitter. Injuries limited him to 103 plate appearances last year, but he had a wRC+ of 124.

Amaya is sharing catching duties with Carson Kelly this season, but as the Cubs' offense has struggled to capitalize on scoring opportunities this season, there's a case to be made that their best lineup, at the moment, includes Kelly at catcher and Amaya as the team's designated hitter.

If that is the determination that is made, it wouldn't be a complete surprise to see Ballesteros return to Triple-A to continue his development as a catcher. The Cubs shouldn't be at that point yet, but it's something to monitor in the weeks ahead. Especially with Seiya Suzuki set to make his return this weekend, forcing a change to the team's bench.