Cubs Place Miguel Montero On DL, Federowicz Recalled

The Cubs today placed catcher Miguel Montero on the 15-day disabled list with back stiffness. Veteran catcher Tim Federowicz has been recalled from Triple-A Iowa to take Montero's place on the roster. Montero's trip to the DL will be backdated to Monday, so he will be eligible to return from the DL on May 10. The Cubs expect that Montero will miss the minimum amount of time, or close to it.

The big question is that with the Cubs having arguably the top catching prospect in the minors tearing up Triple-A, why was Federowicz recalled instead of Willson Contreras? Contreras has only had a few weeks in Triple-A and the Cubs want him to continue to work on his development there. They did say that if this happens again later this season, then Contreras would get the call.

The Cubs had an open spot on their 40-man roster, so Federowicz takes that spot. The Cubs 40-man roster is now full.