Nico Hoerner

27 februari 2025

Set to miss season-opening series

Hoerner (forearm) won't travel with the Cubs to Japan for the team's two-game, season-opening series versus the Dodgers on March 18 and 19 and will instead remain in Arizona to continue his rehab, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Analyse

Though manager Craig Counsell said earlier in spring training that Hoerner was bouncing back well in his recovery from October surgery to repair the flexor tendon in his right forearm, the 27-year-old has yet to be cleared for Cactus League action. Per MLB.com, Hoerner is continuing to hit in the batting cage and working through a throwing program, but he's not on track to be ready to play in Japan in three weeks. The Cubs could turn to Jon Berti or Vidal Brujan to hold down the fort at second base in the two-game series against the Dodgers, but Hoerner may still have a chance at being ready to go for the team's domestic season opener March 27 versus the Diamondbacks.