Soto on DL; Davis to start Saturday
The Cubs made news at both ends of the battery Wednesday.
As expected, they put catcher Geovany Soto on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left groin. They recalled catcher Welington Castillo from Class AAA Iowa to take Soto’s roster spot.
Second, they announced that 35-year-old lefty Doug Davis would come up from Iowa to start Saturday night’s game against the San Francisco Giants at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs were breathing easier about Soto, who had an MRI Wednesday. He suffered the injury while blocking a ball in the first inning Tuesday. He did the splits while making the play, but the Cubs said he should need no more than the 15 days of DL time to return.
They’ll send him to Arizona next week to rehab.
“Actually, it was not bad,” Soto said. “I’m committed to getting better as fast as I can so I can come up here and help the club. I wanted to try it out (Tuesday), but I really felt it grabbing me. I didn’t want to take a chance on this.”
Welcome back, Welington:Welington Castillo appeared in seven games for the Cubs last year and saw a lot of action this year in spring training. He is still nursing a sore right index finger, which he has bandaged. He suffered the injury in spring training and said it may plague him the rest of the year.Castillo opened the season as a DH at Class A Daytona before moving back up to Iowa. He#146;s a strong thrower, but the Cubs have felt he needs work calling games and handling pitchers.#147;I#146;m more mature, just calling the game,#148; Castillo said.Manager Mike Quade said Castillo and veteran backup Koyie Hill would share time.#147;Hilly#146;s done a great job handling our pitching staff,#148; Quade said. #147;The kid can learn a lot from him as well as get some playing time. The next couple days, I would expect to see him back there.#147;He (Castillo) can really throw. But the mental aspect of calling a game, catching a game, handling a pitching staff, part of that#146;s knowledge, and a lot of that#146;s experience.#147;And getting that group (of pitchers), how are they going to buy into you? How are you going to earn that pitching staff#146;s respect? Very few young catchers come up and have if figured out.#148;Know him well:Doug Davis was the winning pitcher in Game 2 of the 2007 division series for the Arizona Diamondbacks against the Cubs. He also faced the Cubs while with the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cubs signed him last month to a minor league deal.Davis started for Class AAA Iowa on Tuesday night, but the Cubs limited him to 3 innings because he was a candidate to start Saturday, and it would be on short rest.#147;He#146;s a major league pitcher,#148; general manager Jim Hendry said. #147;He used to give us fits. He#146;s a different kind of guy. He#146;s got that pause in his delivery. He used to frustrate us in Milwaukee and Arizona.#148;Davis has beaten thyroid cancer. He also underwent flexor-tendon surgery on his left elbow last October.