Cubs' Amaya headed back to IL day after return

TORONTO -- One day after returning from a lengthy absence, Chicago Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya is headed right back to the injured list after spraining his left ankle while stepping on first base Wednesday night against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Amaya was carted off the field after his foot landed awkwardly at the front of the base as he beat out an infield single in the eighth inning. Amaya twisted in the air after the impact and landed on his back.

"You knew something was pretty seriously wrong pretty quickly," Cubs manager Craig Counsell said.

Cubs athletic trainers eventually lifted Amaya onto a waiting cart, and he was driven off while holding a towel over his face. Counsell said X-rays did not reveal a fracture.

"It's swollen up pretty good already," Counsell said about Amaya's ankle after the Cubs beat Toronto 4-1. "It's an IL. It's bad luck, unfortunately, and we're going to miss him."

The 26-year-old Amaya was reinstated from the IL on Tuesday after being sidelined since May 25 because of a left oblique strain. He had hit .280 with four homers and 25 RBIs in 27 games prior to that injury.

"I hate to see what happened to him," Cubs rookie right-hander Cade Horton said of Amaya. "Prayers to him. He's a special player, a great teammate."

To take Amaya's spot on the roster, the Cubs are calling up their No. 2 prospect, outfielder Owen Caissie, sources told ESPN's Jesse Rogers and Kiley McDaniel. Caissie, 23, is hitting .292 with 22 home runs and a .966 OPS at Triple-A Iowa.

Caissie was acquired in Dec., 2020 for Yu Darvish in a seven-player deal which included four prospects returning to the Cubs. Caissie is the lone player to make it to the majors.

Caissie has been on fire at Triple-A this season, hitting .378 with 10 home run in his last 26 games. He's a native of Ontario and is likely to make his debut as the designated hitter in the Cubs' series finale in Toronto on Thursday.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.