Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner put together a solid three-hit performance during Thursday's game against the San Francisco Giants. Hoerner kicked off the scoring with a two-run blast off right-hander Jordan Hicks in the third inning to give Chicago a 2-0 lead. The 27-year-old went 3-for-5 at the plate with a homer and a stolen base in the win. Hoerner is off to a slow start to the season but the hand injury could've contributed to that. We'll see if he can turn it around in the second half.
Nico Hoerner Diagnosed With Small Fracture In Hand
Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner has been diagnosed with a small fracture in his hand according to Cubs manager Craig Counsell. Doctors have noted that they are comfortable with him playing if the pain and swelling subsides. The Cubs will make a decision in the coming days about whether or not the 27-year-old should hit the IL. As of now Hoerner should be considered day-to-day. Hoerner has hit for a league average 100 OPS+ in 2024, though his bat has been rather cold since May. Fantasy managers looking for a short term replacement for Hoerner should target David Bote, who has now started at second base for the Cubs two games in a row.
Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner (hand) will again be absent from the starting lineup on Saturday against the Cincinnati Reds. The 27-year-old was plunked by a pitch on his hand in Thursday's series opener with the Reds and did not start Friday's 3-2 loss, although he did appear as a pinch-runner. It's a difficult blow for the club if Hoerner misses some time as he has been solid on both ends of the ball this season, hitting .252 with a pair of homers, seven stolen bases, and a 10% BB% that exceeds his excellent 9.5% K%. His offensive production grades out 5% above the league average, as per his 105 wRC%, while his defensive metrics are also above average. David Bote will start at second base on Saturday and hit seventh against Reds left-hander Andrew Abbott.
Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner returned to the lineup on Tuesday after missing the previous six games with a hamstring injury and made an immediate impact versus the Atlanta Braves. Despite only having one hit in five at-bats, it was a huge one in the bottom of the 10th inning to walk it off for the Cubbies with a RBI single. Hoerner is a strong middle infield option with ability to help across the board with a .267 batting average accompanied by two homers, 13 RBI and five stolen bases. He will look to keep things going in Game 2 of Chicago's series versus the Atlanta Braves and Max Fried on Wednesday.
Chicago Cubs middle infielder Nico Hoerner (hamstring) is back at second base and is hitting sixth in the order on Tuesday against the visiting Atlanta Braves and right-hander Charlie Morton in the series opener. The Cubs now have their starting middle infield back with Hoerner at the keystone and Dansby Swanson at shortstop. This will be Hoerner's first start in more than a week while he dealt with a left-hamstring injury. Hoerner, 27, has been solid at the plate this year and has gone 13-for-45 (.289) with two home runs and five RBI in his 12 games played in May before he suffered a hamstring injury. He might have to knock off a little rust after taking a week off, but fantasy managers in redraft leagues will want to get him back into their lineups. He's hitting .333 in nine career at-bats against Morton.
Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner (hamstring) remains out of the starting lineup ahead of Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. This marks the sixth straight game that Hoerner has missed due to tightness in his hamstring. The 27-year-old is considered day-to-day, but it's a bit surprising Hoerner hasn't been placed on the injured list yet. In the meantime, Nick Madrigal will bat seventh and cover second base on Sunday.
Nico Hoerner Remains Out Of Lineup Again On Saturday
Chicago Cubs second baseman/shortstop Nico Hoerner (hamstring) remains out of the Cubs starting lineup on Saturday for the fifth consecutive game. The Cubs are hopeful that their gold glove infielder will not have to spend a stint on the injured list; however, manager Craig Counsell expressed on Friday that he may have to do so if this injury continues to linger. As a result, infielder Miles Mastrobuoni will make his fifth consecutive start at the keystone this afternoon as the Cubs continue a four-game set with their division rival Pittsburgh Pirates and will bat in the eight-hole. The 28-year-old has posted a poor .133/.278/.133 slash line during this stretch, and is best to fade in DFS.
Chicago Cubs middle infielder Nico Hoerner (hamstring) was still feeling his hamstring issue on Thursday and was held out of the lineup again in Friday's loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. He's still being considered day-to-day and is hoping to avoid a stint on the injured list. Manager Craig Counsell said, "If it's still lingering, then it's on the table." Hoerner has now missed four straight games and could land on the IL if he's unable to play in either of the final two games in the weekend series against Pittsburgh. Regular shortstop Dansby Swanson (knee) is also on the IL, so the Cubs have been getting by with Miles Mastrobuoni at shortstop and Nick Madrigal at second base. Hoerner, a former first-rounder in 2018 out of Stanford, deserves to be stashed in most fantasy leagues if he is placed on the IL. He's currently hitting .269/.361/.391 with two homers, 12 RBI and five steals in 2024.
Chicago Cubs middle infielder Nico Hoerner (hamstring) remains out of the starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates. Miles Mastrobuoni will get another start at the 6 and will hit sixth, with Nick Madrigal once again manning the keystone and hitting seventh against baseball's top prospect in right-hander Paul Skenes. Dansby Swanson (knee) is on the injured list with knee soreness, so Chicago's middle infield is thinned out at this time. The 27-year-old Hoerner is day-to-day with left-hamstring tightness but has now missed his fourth straight game. If he's unable to rejoin the Cubs' lineup this weekend, he could join Swanson on the IL. DFS gamers can probably find better options at shortstop and second base than Mastrobuoni and Madrigal, who are both light-hitting utility infielders.
Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner (hamstring), who remained out of Thursday's lineup, went through a more regular pregame workout before the game against the division-rival Pittsburgh Pirates, manager Craig Counsell said. If all goes well, the hope is that Hoerner will be back in Chicago's lineup for the second game of the series against Pittsburgh on Friday. The 27-year-old contact-hitting infielder appears to be on the cusp of a return from tightness in his left hamstring after being out of the lineup in each of the past three contests, so fantasy managers should expect to get him back without needing a trip to the injured list. In 41 games (156 at-bats) before picking up the injury, Hoerner slashed .269/.361/.391 with two home runs, 11 doubles, 12 RBI, 25 runs scored, and five stolen bases as the Cubs' primary leadoff hitter.
