The Cubs released catcher Tomas Nido, tweets Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune. Nido had been on the 10-day injured list, but was occupying a 40-man roster spot. Chicago needed to create a 40-man vacancy to finalize their claim of reliever Shawn Armstrong from St. Louis.
Nido has been on the IL since July 25 with a meniscus injury that required right knee surgery. The Cubs sent him on a rehab stint with Triple-A Iowa Thursday night. That suggests he’s nearing a return, but the Cubs no longer felt they needed him in the catching corps. Chicago called up Christian Bethancourt once Nido landed on the shelf. He has mashed over 11 games in the backup role. Starter Miguel Amaya, meanwhile, has a huge .337/.375/.554 slash since the All-Star Break. It’s a huge turnaround after the 25-year-old hit .201/.266/.288 in the first half.
Since Nido’s injury, Cubs’ catchers own an MLB-leading .327/.358/.634 batting line. Chicago’s catchers almost instantaneously flipped from one of the league’s worst groups to being among the best for the last month. There’s not much of a reason to make a change. The Cubs could have carried three catchers for September but probably would not have had many at-bats available for Nido.
Chicago has put the 30-year-old on waivers. He’d be a free agent if he goes unclaimed, though there may not be enough time for him to catch on elsewhere while still remaining eligible for postseason play with his new club. If another team claimed him or signed him to a big league contract, they’d only be responsible for the prorated portion of the league minimum. The Mets are otherwise paying his $2.1M salary in the second season of a two-year contract.
Nido is a career .210/.245/.309 hitter over parts of eight seasons. He’s obviously not going to bring much to the table offensively but has a strong defensive reputation. Statcast grades him highly for his pitch-framing acumen and arm strength.
