Cubs Gold Glove Infielder Reaches Key Milestone in Injury Recovery
The Chicago Cubs resume the regular season next week and they’re hoping this Gold Glove-winning infielder will be ready to play.
Not every Chicago Cubs player could go to Japan for the Tokyo Series — even if they wanted to.
Second baseman Nico Hoerner would have loved to have been on that trip. But, as he continued his recovery from flexor tendon surgery in October, the Cubs felt it was better for Hoerner to remain in Arizona and continue his rehab.
On Friday, while the Cubs that did go to Japan were sleeping off the jet lag, Hoerner made a huge stride in his potential return to the lineup — he finally played a spring training game.
While he has been playing in minor league spring training games, this was his first with the Major League club. Hoerner batted second and played his usual position.
His first at-bat ended with him flying out to right field. In the fourth inning, he batted first and flew out again, this time to center field. His final at-bat, which came in the seventh, also ended in an out. He grounded out to shortstop.
Right now, the outcomes don’t matter. What matters is Hoerner playing an entire game in the field with the Major League squad less than a week before the Cubs re-boot the regular season with a series that starts at the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday.
