Hendricks didn't like Cubs fans booing Montero in return to Wrigley

Chicago Cubs fans clearly haven't forgiven Toronto Blue Jays catcher Miguel Montero for the comments he made about former teammate Jake Arrieta earlier this season, though right-hander Kyle Hendricks wishes they had.

Montero returned to Wrigley Field for the first time Friday since he infamously blamed Arrieta for being too slow in his delivery and not giving him the chance to throw out baserunners. Chicago designated him for assignment in June before trading him to Toronto. With Arrieta coincidentally on the mound for the three-game series opener, fans at Wrigley booed their former backstop, but Hendricks felt Montero didn't deserve the hostile reception.

"I didn’t like that," Hendricks told the Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan. "I texted him before he was coming here to see how he was doing. That's just the fans. That's how it happens. They see a lot that happens on the field and in the press. They don't see everything that happens in the clubhouse day to day. You can ask anyone on this team their thoughts on 'Miggy' and it's going to be very positive.

"We were kind of surprised to hear (the booing). But that's just how it goes, and Miggy just takes it all in stride. He knows how the guys feel about him."

In the defense of Cubs fans, the team's perception of Montero appeared to skew negative once he was cut. First baseman Anthony Rizzo slammed the catcher for his remarks, calling him a "selfish player," and even Theo Epstein, the team's president of baseball operations, said the Cubs were better off without Montero, who publicly showed himself to be a "bad teammate."

According to Sullivan, however, Epstein sought out Montero to say hello pregame Friday, and the now-Blue Jays backstop didn't let the reception from Cubs fans affect him personally.

"If I was a really bad teammate, no one would say hi to me, no one would really care for me," Montero told Sullivan. "And they all were, like, happy to see me, and I was happy to see them. (The booing and cheering) was on and off. I really don't care.

"They cheered a lot of big hits when I was here, and whether they hate me or love me, they’re going to remember me forever."