Cubs catcher Caratini goes on IL with hand injury

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs placed Victor Caratini on the 10-day injured list on Friday with a broken bone in his left hand, sidelining the backup catcher for four to six weeks.

The 25-year-old Caratini is scheduled for surgery on Monday. He had been a pleasant surprise for Chicago, batting .571 with a homer and five RBIs in six games.

He got hurt on a swing during Thursday night's 2-0 victory over Pittsburgh. A CT scan confirmed a fractured left hamate.

"He was looking so good," manager Joe Maddon said. "He was pretty upset yesterday. He was upset because he knew how well he was playing, he knew what was going on. It's truly unfortunate. It's just one of those injuries where — you've been around guys that have had them before, they're very freakish. And they're taking care of but they put you down a bit."

Taylor Davis was recalled from Triple-A Iowa to replace Caratini on the roster. The 29-year-old Davis is a .278 hitter with three RBIs in 13 career games.

The Cubs could look outside the organization for catching help while Caratini is out.

"I wouldn't doubt that we're probably looking a little bit," Maddon said before Chicago's 5-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels. "I would say that's probably true, but for right now we're really happy with Taylor. He's really grown among the group.

"He's a very good receiver. The guys like him a lot for that. Offensively speaking, he comes up with some big knocks. Definitely, he's at that point where it feels like he belongs, that he can do this."