Cubs' Nico Hoerner: Triples from leadoff spot Saturday
Rotowire
Hoerner went 1-for-4 with a walk, a triple and a run scored in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Yankees.
For the second straight day, Hoerner batted leadoff, and he started the game with a triple before coming around to score. Chicago's regular leadoff hitter, Ian Happ, got the night off Friday and then slid down to seventh in the order Saturday. Happ is batting just .227 with a .324 on-base percentage, while Hoerner is batting .286 with a .334 on-base percentage. It could just be a temporary change to get the slumping Happ going, but if Hoerner sticks atop the lineup, he could get a boost in fantasy value batting ahead of dangerous run producers Kyle Tucker, Seiya Suzuki and Pete Crow-Armstrong.
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Cubs' Nico Hoerner: Ends up homer shy of cycle
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Hoerner went 3-for-4 with a triple, a double, one RBI and three runs scored in Sunday's 11-0 win over the Cardinals.
Hoerner was a homer shy of the cycle by the fourth inning, but he grounded out in the sixth and was replaced on defense by Jon Berti to begin the eighth. A cycle would be a bit of a long shot for the light-hitting Hoerner, though he has shown a little more power lately -- all three of his homers on the year have come since June 24. The infielder has added a .287/.336/.382 slash line with 37 RBI, 51 runs scored, 16 stolen bases, 18 doubles and two triples over 86 games.
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Cubs' Nico Hoerner: Goes deep again in easy win
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Hoerner went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 12-3 win over the Astros.
Hoerner made his lone hit count, as he recorded his second home run in as many days and third in the last five games. Those three long balls account for all of Hoerner's home runs this season, so the power surge certainly came out of nowhere. The speedy infielder is also riding a seven-game hitting streak, and he's now batting .294 this year with 15 stolen bases through 79 games. Hoerner's speed and high batting average remain his most bankable fantasy assets, despite the recent uptick in pop.
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Cubs' Nico Hoerner: Homers in Friday's loss
Rotowire
Hoerner went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and two total runs scored in Friday's 7-4 loss to the Astros.
Hoerner got the Cubs on the board with his fifth-inning homer. The middle infielder has hit safely in 14 of his last 16 games, going 20-for-57 (.351) with four extra-base hits in that span. Both of his homers this season have come over the last four games. He's added a .294/.339/.378 slash line with 34 RBI, 45 runs scored, 15 stolen bases, 17 doubles and a triple over 78 contests, so while he won't add much power, he has shown plenty of consistency with his bat and speed.
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Cubs' Nico Hoerner: Filling in at shortstop
Rotowire
Hoerner will start at shortstop and bat sixth in Sunday's game against the Mariners.
The Cubs will rest Dansby Swanson for the first time all season, so Hoerner will shift over from his usual post at second base to cover shortstop. Hoerner doesn't have any home runs this season, though he's provided fantasy value with a .284 batting average, 41 runs, 31 RBI and 14 stolen bases through 72 games.
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Cubs' Nico Hoerner: Records two more hits
Rotowire
Hoerner went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI in Wednesday's 7-2 loss to the Phillies.
Hoerner delivered his second straight two-hit performance to wrap up the series against Philadelphia. The infielder is once again providing a strong batting average with little power, as he's now hitting .288 with no home runs and a .693 OPS. Hoerner's best fantasy asset remains his speed, as he has 13 stolen bases this season in 16 attempts, and he should also be able to score a decent number of runs as part of a potent Chicago lineup.
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Cubs' Nico Hoerner: Ejected from Sunday's contest
Rotowire
Hoerner was ejected from Sunday's game against the Tigers for arguing balls and strikes, Mike McGraw of the Chicago Daily Herald reports.
Hoerner struck out looking during the fifth inning and expressed his displeasure with the called third strike, which brought an early end to his afternoon. The second baseman finished the contest 0-for-2 and is now batting .231 (6-for-26) through seven games in June.
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Cubs' Nico Hoerner: Tallies three hits in win
Rotowire
Hoerner went 3-for-4 with two RBI in Sunday's 7-3 win over the Reds.
Hoerner was caught stealing for just the third time this season in 14 attempts, but it otherwise was a productive afternoon. The speedy infielder pushed his batting average over .300 to sit at .301 through 55 games. Hoerner's career best in the category is .302, which he set back in 2021, albeit in only 44 games as he missed significant time due to injuries.
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Cubs' Nico Hoerner: Reaches four more times Saturday
Rotowire
Hoerner went 2-for-3 with two walks, two runs scored and an RBI in Saturday's 7-3 win over the White Sox. He also stole a base.
For the second straight game, Hoerner tallied two hits and a stolen base against the Cubs' crosstown rivals. He's now up to 10 steals on the season, and the infielder should continue to run frequently after swiping 31 bags in 2024. Hoerner is also helping fantasy managers with a .285 batting average, which is slightly ahead of his career .278 figure.
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Cubs' Nico Hoerner: Scores three times in romp
Rotowire
Hoerner went 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI and three runs scored in Friday's 13-3 win over the White Sox. He also stole a base.
Hoerner contributed to the easy win from the No. 8 spot in the lineup, as he set a new single-game season high in runs scored and also stole his ninth base of the year. Despite sliding down toward the bottom of Chicago's order, the infielder maintains plenty of fantasy upside due to his ability to swipe bases. Hoerner recorded a total of 74 steals over the last two seasons.
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Cubs' Nico Hoerner: Scores lone run Wednesday
Rotowire
Hoerner went 2-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored in Wednesday's 3-1 loss to the Giants.
Hoerner was one of Chicago's lone offensive bright spots Wednesday, as he recorded half of the team's hits and the only run. The infielder has been mostly a singles hitter this year, with only eight extra-base hits and no home runs among his 38 hits overall, but he's still been fairly productive with a .281 batting average. Hoerner has also chipped in seven stolen bases in nine attempts, which is his main source of fantasy value.
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Cubs' Nico Hoerner: Collects two hits in win
Rotowire
Hoerner went 2-for-5 with an RBI in Friday's 10-0 win over the Brewers.
While other Chicago players have had splashier stat lines during the team's 20-13 start to the season, Hoerner has been a steady performer with a .289 batting average and six stolen bases across 29 games. The infielder has two multi-hit efforts over his last three contests and at least one hit in four of his last five appearances.
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Cubs' Nico Hoerner: Plays hero in 10th inning
Rotowire
Hoerner went 3-for-5 with a triple and an RBI in Tuesday's 2-1 extra-inning win over the Padres.
The 27-year-old infielder provided the decisive blow, leading off the 10th inning with a triple off Yuki Matsui that brought home phantom runner Dansby Swanson. Hoerner has racked up seven hits over the last four games, boosting his slash line on the season to .328/.371/.391 with six steals, eight runs and 11 RBI in 16 contests.
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Cubs' Nico Hoerner: Stays locked in Sunday
Rotowire
Hoerner went 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 8-7 loss to the Padres. He also stole two bases.
Hoerner has been reaching base frequently these days, and when he gets on, he seems to have a green light to run. The infielder is 10-for-24 over his last six games with six stolen bases. Hoerner doesn't hit for much power, but he's been a positive contributor for fantasy managers in terms of batting average and steals.
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Cubs' Nico Hoerner: Swipes another base Saturday
Rotowire
Hoerner went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored in Saturday's 7-1 win over the Padres. He also stole a base.
Hoerner is still looking for his first extra-base hit of the season, though he's made an impact from a fantasy perspective due to his .313 batting average and four stolen bases in only eight games. Clearly, the Cubs trust the infielder to run frequently, and if Hoerner keeps getting on base at a good clip, he figures to rack up more steals in a hurry.
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Cubs' Nico Hoerner: Effective on bases Wednesday
Rotowire
Hoerner went 1-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's 10-2 win over the Athletics. He also stole two bases.
Hoerner maximized his time on the basepaths, as he stole both second and third base and also scored twice. The infielder has three steals in his last two games, so he appears to be fully up to speed after missing Chicago's opening two-game series in Tokyo as he recovered from October flexor tendon surgery. Hoerner posted a career-best 43 stolen bases in 2023, and he could threaten that number this year if he stays healthy.
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Cubs' Nico Hoerner: Not starting Saturday
Rotowire
Hoerner isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game versus Arizona.
Hoerner went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in the Cubs' domestic opener Thursday but followed it up with an 0-for-4 outing Friday. He'll now take a seat Saturday while Jon Berti picks up a start at the keystone and bats ninth.
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Cubs' Nico Hoerner: Appears ready for Opening Day
Rotowire
Hoerner (forearm) will start at second base and bat sixth in Tuesday's exhibition game against Atlanta.
Hoerner will close out the spring having started at the keystone in three of the Cubs' final five games. He has just one hit in six at-bats through his first two starts, but assuming that he's been able to get some additional swings in against live pitching between batting practice and minor-league games, Hoerner looks like he'll be ready to handle an everyday role when the Cubs play their first domestic series of the season later this week in Arizona. While he was still completing his recovery from the flexor tendon surgery he underwent in October, Hoerner wasn't available last week for the Cubs' two-game season-opening series in Tokyo versus the Dodgers, resulting in Jon Berti picking up a pair of starts at second base.
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Cubs' Nico Hoerner: Making spring debut Friday
Rotowire
Hoener (forearm) is starting at second base and batting second in Friday's Cactus League game against the Padres.
The 27-year-old missed the Cubs' season-opening series versus the Dodgers in Tokyo this week while continuing to rehab from October flexor tendon surgery, but he still appears to have a chance of being available for the domestic opener in Arizona on Thursday. However, with the resumption of Chicago's schedule less than a week away, the organization may want to give Hoerner a bit more time to rack up game reps. Regardless, the second baseman's spring debut is a major step toward full clearance, and it doesn't appear Hoerner will miss much more of the regular season.
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Cubs' Nico Hoerner: Set to miss season-opening series
Rotowire
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.
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.
