Geovany Soto left last night’s game with a strained groin and the Cubs have placed him on the disabled list, according to Carrie Muskat of MLB.com.
Soto was off to a slow start before the injury, hitting just .226 with three homers and a .709 OPS through 31 games, but that’s still above-average production for a catcher and his .821 career OPS ranks sixth among all active players with at least 1,000 plate appearances at the position behind only Joe Mauer, Jorge Posada, Brian McCann, Victor Martinez, and Mike Napoli.
And losing Soto is doubly bad for the Cubs because his primary replacement, Koyie Hill, is a career .213 hitter with a .578 OPS in 262 games. Welington Castillo will be called up from Triple-A to take Soto’s roster spot and serve as Hill’s backup, although the 23-year-old has more power potential.
