Status of Cubs’ Nico Hoerner Still Unclear as Spring Approaches

There've been questions about his status since Nico Hoerner had flexor tendon surgery in October. Not much clarity came from Cubs Convention.

CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 2: Nico Hoerner #2 of the Chicago Cubs runs the bases against the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field on October 2, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

Since it was revealed Nico Hoerner underwent flexor tendon surgery in his right forearm in October, questions about the Chicago Cubs’ second baseman’s status haven’t gone away.

A big one of those centered around his appearance as a trade candidate going into the offseason. The Cubs weren’t aggressively shopping him, but the injury still seemed to take a hit on any potential return package in a deal.

A trade felt even more unlikely at that point. So, the question turned to when he’d be ready to play and how much time he could miss.

Will Hoerner be good to participate at all during spring training? Is the Cubs’ two-game series, against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Tokyo beginning March 18, in play?

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Might he be ready for their first 2025 regular season game in the U.S. in Arizona on March 27? What about the Cubs’ home opener on April 4?

Those questions and more have been asked plenty over the last three months. But as of Saturday at the Cubs Convention, there aren’t any clear answers.

“The surgery, it’s hard not to, from day one, start projecting out,” Hoerner said. “I think I’d do myself and the team a bit of a disservice if I rush this process in any way. I think it is kind of in my nature to push towards that direction. But straight up reps and work ethic, like, effort doesn’t really heal your tendons. Obviously, there’s stuff within that, but patience is a huge part of it, too.

“All that to be said, I guess just working backwards from Opening Day, you take playing as many games in a season as possible into consideration. It’s obviously a huge source of motivation, both for myself and for the team, making sure that I’m in a place not only just to get back to being able to play but actually being able to be myself.

“Yeah, we’ll go from there. I don’t have an exact answer on that yet.”

That message felt a bit different from one delivered earlier that morning by Cubs general manager Carter Hawkins, responding to a question involving Hoerner’s health posed during a baseball operations panel.

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“When you talk to him, ask him if he’s hurt,” Hawkins said. “Nico is about as tough of a guy as we have in the organization, if not the toughest. … He’s going to do everything he possibly can to be ready for Opening Day.

“We’ve got a lot of great depth that’s going to be able to help us out if that’s not the case. But I think if you went and told him, ‘What are you going to do since you’re not going to be here for Opening Day?’, he’s going to stare right through you.”

Maybe the latter message just feels more positive or confident than the former. Both sides are pulling the rope in the same direction, though. They just want Hoerner to come back healthy for next season. Still, it all helps underscore the lack of clarity on Hoerner’s status.

Regardless, he’s currently in the rehab process. He’s trying not to push too hard and risk a setback.

Hoerner said he dealt with the injury throughout the season. Mainly, it impacted his ability to throw the ball. He still played 151 games, and it probably helped that he was playing second base, which allowed him to make it work to stay on the field — though the average velocity of his throws (per Statcast) dropped from 79.1 mph in 2023 to 75.7 mph in 2024.

Of course, as Hoerner said, “I really would rather be the full version of myself and not just have to make it work and really be the complete defender that I am.”

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Hoerner hasn’t started hitting. The injury and then surgery “impacts the swing and grip strength and just the ability to use your right arm.” Though he said he’ll normally start hitting in early December, he’s not overly concerned that he hasn’t at all yet.

He’s dealt with a truncated build-up schedule before. In 2018, an ailment in the UCL in his left elbow necessitated a PRP shot. The recovery left him with only “two weeks-ish” to build up for the Arizona Fall League. Ultimately, that didn’t hold him back.

“That’s one of my best stretches of my life, honestly,” Hoerner said. “The most confidence I’ve had as a hitter was that 2018 Fall League, and it was a time that I really feel like, for my own confidence, put me in a place where I knew I was on track to be a good big leaguer and playing in professional baseball, really, for the first time.

“That gives me a lot of confidence that I don’t need three or four months to get ready for a season. Obviously, I’d prefer to be in full health and be able to build up however I want, but my confidence in preparing for the year, that experience definitely helps me a lot with that.”

He hasn’t started throwing yet, either. That’s what he said “is by far the biggest priority and the thing I’m looking forward to being able to do again.”

For now, he’s working toward a throwing program. And though he’s “definitely happy with the progress I’m making,” they haven’t yet set a date for that to begin.

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Again, there’s still a lot of uncertainty regarding Hoerner’s status. He isn’t rushing through the process, but the steps he has to take remain unclear. We probably won’t get more clarity at least until players start reporting to spring training in roughly three weeks.

Whether that includes an actual return date — or even a window — is anyone’s guess.

At the very least, Hoerner and the Cubs feel like he’s making good progress. It’s all about getting him back to full health now — no matter how much time it could cost him.