The Cubs have tried to retool their roster this winter in an effort to get again to the playoffs for the primary time in a 162-game season since 2018. As they’ve performed so, one of many greatest query marks dealing with the staff this winter has been the standing of second baseman Nico Hoerner. The Cubs revealed in late October that Hoerner had undergone flexor tendon surgical procedure with out offering a timeline for his return. The damage finally didn’t cease groups such because the Mariners from pursuing Hoerner on the commerce market this winter because the Cubs tried to open up a spot on the infield for prime prospect Matt Shaw, however rumors of a deal died down after Chicago shipped third baseman Isaac Paredes to Houston as a part of the Kyle Tucker commerce.
With these commerce rumors seemingly a factor of the previous, Hoerner figures to be within the Cubs group on Opening Day 2025. Whether or not or not he’ll be within the lineup is one other matter, nonetheless. As famous by Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune, Hoerner mentioned his damage and rehab intimately on the Cubs Conference in Chicago earlier immediately. Per Montemurro, Hoerner famous that he performed by means of the problem all through the 2024 marketing campaign and that it had the biggest influence on his throwing within the area.
That actuality is borne out in his defensive metrics final yr. In line with Statcast, the fielding that earned Hoerner a Gold Glove award in 2023 faltered considerably final yr. Whereas his +10 Outs Above Common remained on this ninety fifth percentile of all MLB fielders final yr, Hoerner’s Fielding Run Worth dipped from +11 in 2023 to +8 in 2024. Trying particularly at his arm energy, Hoerner noticed his throws lose greater than three ticks of velocity year-over-year as he averaged 79.1 mph on his throws in 2023 however simply 75.7 mph in 2024.
Given how noticeably the damage was impacting Hoerner’s elite work on the infield, it’s not essentially stunning that he and the Cubs are taking his rehab course of slowly. As relayed by Montemurro, Hoerner has not but begun a throwing program or hitting since he went below the knife again in October. With the Cubs’ first sport of the 2025 season in opposition to the Dodgers in Tokyo simply two months away, that casts some doubt on the second baseman’s capacity to be prepared for the beginning of Chicago’s season. To that finish, Montemurro studies that Hoerner not solely couldn’t reply whether or not or not he’d be prepared for the Tokyo Collection in March, but in addition couldn’t touch upon whether or not or not he’d be again on the sphere in time for the Cubs’ dwelling opener on April 4.
That leaves Hoerner lacking at the very least the season’s first couple of weeks on the desk, and and not using a clear timeline for return the potential of a considerably longer absence can’t be absolutely dominated out. With Shaw seemingly set to take over for Paredes at third base, the membership’s inner choices to fill in for Hoerner presently look like Rule 5 draft decide Gage Workman and utility infielder Vidal Brujan. These choices don’t precisely encourage confidence as fill-ins for Hoerner within the occasion he’s not prepared for the beginning of the season, so it’s not essentially a shock that the Cubs look like centered on bolstering their bench combine forward of Spring Coaching. Chicago was related to Yoán Moncada earlier this month, and different gamers comparable to Paul DeJong and Jose Iglesias may additionally make sense as depth choices who may fill in for Hoerner to start out the season and supply insurance coverage in case Shaw struggles in his first style of massive league motion.
