The Chicago Cubs are in wait-and-see mode with second baseman Nico Hoerner.
For one more day at least.
Further imaging revealed a small fracture in Hoerner’s right hand, which he suffered Thursday when being hit by a 96.5-mph fastball on a check swing. A couple of doctors provided the Cubs opinions on the injury, and they felt comfortable with Hoerner being OK to continue to play — if the swelling and pain subside.
When that will happen remains unknown as Hoerner was still experiencing both Saturday. It creates a murky timeline for his return to the lineup. He is considered day to day and did not play Saturday in a 4-3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds after pinch running in the ninth inning of Friday’s 3-2 defeat. The doctors said the risk is very, very small that Hoerner’s fracture would become from worse from playing.
Manager Craig Counsell compared it to Cody Bellinger’s situation this season with his two rib fractures.
“All things considered, this is good news, really,” Counsell said. “And we’ll just kind of see where we go.”
The Cubs are weighing whether to put Hoerner on the 10-day injured list. Sunday appears an important day for that determination on top of trying to prevent the Reds from securing a four-game sweep.
Saturday’s loss featured another one-run game, their 25th of the season. The Cubs (31-34) outhit the Reds but went 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position and left 12 on base. Dansby Swanson (two doubles, RBI) and David Bote (double, two runs) each had three hits. And as often has happened during this rough stretch, the Cubs nearly rallied late. They scored in the eighth on Pete Crow-Armstrong’s pinch-hit groundout and put runners on first and third with one out in the ninth but failed to bring home the tying run.
“We’ve got to keep fighting for every inch of every game, and that’s the only way to get out of it,” Counsell said. “No one’s going to feel sorry for you and we’re not feeling sorry for ourselves. That’s not what’s happening. We’re not getting the results we want and that always leaves you with a bad taste in your mouth, but we’ve got an opportunity tomorrow to turn the page and do better.”
With 12 losses in their last 16 games, the Cubs are only .001 points ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals for last place in the National League Central as the Milwaukee Brewers remain in the control. The other four division teams are within one game of each other while sitting below .500. Asked if he’s keeping an eye on the standings, Swanson replied, “It’s June.”
“It’s obvious there’s a lot of talent in this division,” Swanson said. “There’s a lot of good pitching, a lot of good position players. Every game seems to be a fight, seems to kind of come down to who can make plays when it matters and I’m looking forward to our day coming soon.”
Hoerner landing on the injured list would be a blow to the Cubs’ continued efforts to get rolling. As of pregame Saturday, Hoerner had not attempted to throw a baseball, and swinging a bat previously bothered him following the injury.
“No matter what the injury is saying when the perfect time to come back from things I think is usually the hardest part of rehab,” Hoerner said. “Whether it’s a two-month thing or a two-week thing or a five-day thing, whatever it is, I think that’s usually the hard conversation. Counsell has done a nice job throughout the year whenever things have popped up with guys communicating how he sees things honestly.
“Obviously you don’t want to be in a position where you’re on the roster and limiting the manager’s options, so we’re going to go day by day and as far as predicting out it’s a little hard to say right now.”
Hoerner felt better Saturday than the day before, noting “it’s nice that there is a sign of opportunity of progress.” However, managing the pain and swelling and knowing how that will play out over the coming days complicates the situation.
“As far as day-to-day pain, I think that is something that you can make worse, unfortunately, so I think being aware of just managing that,” Hoerner said. “But I think that’s going to be more where my head’s at and making sure that I come back at a time that’s as soon as possible but also in a place that’s going to allow me to be a good version of myself and not deal with something that lasts for weeks or months on end.”
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The Cubs also were without right fielder Seiya Suzuki in Saturday’s starting lineup. Suzuki remained sore after being hit with Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson’s throw on a successful steal of second base in the first inning Friday.
Suzuki initially remained in the game but was removed in the sixth when his left side tightened up. Counsell was optimistic Suzuki would be back in a day or two, adding he is not dealing with an oblique issue. The bruise is affecting Suzuki’s muscles on his swing.
“He kind of got hit on that side earlier in the week so it’s just kind of multiple shots to the back,” Counsell said. “He should improve pretty rapidly here though.”
