{"id":35015,"date":"2025-02-17T23:36:22","date_gmt":"2025-02-17T23:36:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=35015"},"modified":"2025-02-17T23:36:22","modified_gmt":"2025-02-17T23:36:22","slug":"notes-from-chicago-cubs-camp-nico-hoerner-hopes-to-play-in-japan-while-dansby-swanson-wants-to-play-every-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=35015","title":{"rendered":"Notes from Chicago Cubs camp: Nico Hoerner hopes to play in Japan, while Dansby Swanson wants to play every day"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

MESA, Ariz. \u2014 While noting last week that the season-opening two-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on March 18-19 in Japan is important, Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell stressed that it\u2019s only two games.<\/p>\n

That suggests he won\u2019t try to rush players back from any nagging injuries just to play in the series.<\/p>\n

Second baseman Nico Hoerner hopes to play in Tokyo, but his rehab from right flexor tendon surgery could be problematic.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to miss anything,\u201d Hoerner said. \u201cJapan is kind of a once-in-a-lifetime thing, to play last year\u2019s world champions and be able to celebrate with the Japanese players on our team and in front of some of the fans that love baseball as much as any in the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve seen some incredible players from Japan in recent years and I\u2019ve never been to Asia. I\u2019d like to go on that trip. I hope so, but we\u2019ll see.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Cubs resume the regular season March 27 in Phoenix against the Arizona Diamondbacks and have five days of spring training games after the Japan trip to prepare for that.<\/p>\n

No laughing matter:<\/strong> Shortstop Dansby Swanson\u2019s offseason hernia surgery was unexpected after he played through it last season.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe had a great second half, he played great defense, he was really good offensively,\u201d Cubs President Jed Hoyer said in December. \u201cYeah, it was unexpected.\u201d<\/p>\n

Swanson revealed last week the pain was worse than he let on.<\/p>\n

\"Notes
Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson hits during spring training at Sloan Park on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, in Mesa, Ariz. (Armando L. Sanchez\/Chicago Tribune)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI had trouble sneezing, laughing and all those kinds of things toward the end of the year,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was another test and another challenge in a different kind of way. I\u2019m just excited to be healthy again and looking forward to being on the field again this season.\u201d<\/p>\n

Swanson played in 160 and 162 games in back-to-back seasons in 2021-22 for the Atlanta Braves and in 149 games last season in spite of the hernia. Has he considered taking more days off than usual to help preserve himself for the long term?<\/p>\n

\u201cNot one ounce,\u201d he said. \u201cI just try to figure out a better way to play 162 games. There\u2019s importance to it mentally and obviously to baseball itself. Baseball is meant to be played every day. I was raised in the game that way, and that will never change.\u201d<\/p>\n

Old cliches never die:<\/strong> \u201cI feel like we have a really good shot to go out and play baseball and take it one day at a time and pile up a bunch of wins and be playing in October.\u201d \u2014 Cubs left fielder Ian Happ.<\/p>\n

Numbers crunch:<\/strong> Counsell will wear No. 11 this year after being No. 30 in his first season in Chicago.<\/p>\n

\u201cKyle (Tucker) has been No. 30 and I thought that was a good choice to give him No. 30,\u201d he said matter-of-factly.<\/p>\n

Counsell took No. 11 because it was worn by his former manager with the Florida Marlins, Hall of Famer Jim Leyland.<\/p>\n

Future shock<\/strong>: The automated ball-strike system (ABS) will be used Thursday in the Cubs\u2019 Cactus League opener against the Dodgers in Glendale. Umpires will make the calls, but managers can challenge two calls per game. A successful challenge means the team retains that challenge.<\/p>\n

Cody Poteet will start the opener, Counsell told reporters Monday.<\/p>\n

Sammy talk:<\/strong> The Cubs haven\u2019t announced that Sammy Sosa will be in camp, but the team is preparing for his return for the first time since his final season as a Cub in 2004.<\/p>\n

Sosa returned from a long exile to attend the Cubs Convention last month and said he hoped to be invited to spring training. Ryne Sandberg and Rick Sutcliffe have been in camp as guest instructors.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson\u2019s hernia was more painful than he initially revealed, while second baseman Nico Hoerner hopes to be ready for the season opener in Japan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":35016,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[282,992,227,993,780],"class_list":["post-35015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb","tag-chicago-cubs","tag-dansby-swanson","tag-nico-hoerner","tag-sammy-sosa","tag-spring-training"],"yoast_head":"\nNotes from Chicago Cubs camp: Nico Hoerner hopes to play in Japan, while Dansby Swanson wants to play every day - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=35015\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Notes from Chicago Cubs camp: Nico Hoerner hopes to play in Japan, while Dansby Swanson wants to play every day - 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