CHICAGO _ The Cubs are bracing themselves for the loss of valuable backup catcher Victor Caratini for up to six weeks because of a potential hamate bone fracture in his left hand.
Friday morning, the Cubs put Caratini on the 10-day injured list and called up catcher Taylor Davis from Triple-A Iowa.
Caratini, 25, who is 8 for 14 (.571) this season, hurt his hand on a swing prior to hitting his second double of Thursday night's 2-0 win over the Pirates, an RBI gapper against Pirates reliever Francisco Liriano in the seventh inning. Caratini is scheduled to undergo a CT scan Friday.
"During that first swing I felt a crack, but I felt hot so I kept going," said Caratini, who finished the at-bat by driving a pitch to right-center to score Daniel Descalso and cap a two-run rally. "Once I got to second base and took my batting glove off, I could tell there was something wrong."
He will have surgery Monday. Team trainers told Caratini that he could miss three to four weeks, although it's common for players with the injury to miss up to six weeks.
"This kid is playing as good as he can play behind the plate, at the plate, both sides of the plate," manager Joe Maddon said. "He did so much great work during camp.
"I don't think it's going to be something very quick. And we'll wait and see (Friday)."
Davis, 29, has played in 13 games with the Cubs over the previous two seasons, batting .278. Davis is in his fifth season at Triple-A Iowa and is 2 for 14.
Descalso was among the Cubs who were disheartened by the Caratini news.
"(Caratini) has a tough job being a backup catcher and doesn't get to play a lot but takes advantage of the opportunities he gets, has good at-bats, calls a good game and plays good defense," Descalso said. "We're going to miss him.
"When he's ready, he'll step back in and be the same Victor he was before."
