{"id":44954,"date":"2025-03-29T00:58:16","date_gmt":"2025-03-29T00:58:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=44954"},"modified":"2025-03-29T00:58:16","modified_gmt":"2025-03-29T00:58:16","slug":"nico-hoerners-return-gives-the-chicago-cubs-lineup-a-boost-nobody-sees-all-the-work-that-he-had-to-put-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=44954","title":{"rendered":"Nico Hoerner\u2019s return gives the Chicago Cubs lineup a boost: \u2018Nobody sees all the work that he had to put in\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

PHOENIX \u2014 Nico Hoerner knew being ready for the Chicago Cubs opener in Japan was not a healthy goal.<\/p>\n

As much as the Cubs second baseman wanted to be with the team in Tokyo last week for their first two regular-season games, staying back at the team\u2019s complex in Mesa, Ariz., was the prudent move if we wanted to be able to play in their domestic-opening series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Even that wasn\u2019t a guarantee after undergoing right flexor tendon surgery in October.<\/p>\n

But Hoerner\u2019s months of rehab paid off Thursday when he started in the Cubs\u2019 10-6 win, collecting two hits, an RBI, a walk and run scored while showing off the type of defense that should again make him among the best in the league at his position.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have so much tech, so many options, so many opinions, like, you can end up doing 20 different things in a day to supposedly heal yourself and really have no clue if anything\u2019s doing anything so I got into some rabbit holes of that this offseason I think as most people do in rehab,\u201d Hoerner said. \u201cBut as far as it is right now, it\u2019s pretty simple on a day to day, and I\u2019m really grateful for the staff and everything we have here that really made that possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoerner didn\u2019t wake up a 3 a.m. in Arizona to watch the Tokyo Series, instead catching the end of both games when he got up at 5 a.m. He admitted those games didn\u2019t feel real in terms of counting in the standings from his outsider perspective but heard great things about the event from teammates.<\/p>\n

Part of Hoerner\u2019s decision to get the surgery centered on being able to play shortstop. Making throws from that position wasn\u2019t viable with the injury he played through last year. He isn\u2019t quite built up enough to back up Dansby Swanson yet as Hoerner continues to get his arm strength back and increases his capacity for more throws at a higher velocity. But he\u2019s trending in the right direction through his pregame work.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes you guys think we\u2019re being coy, like, I don\u2019t think we really had a sense of what the return would be, the hope would have been (the domestic opener),\u201d president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said Thursday. \u201cI always thought Japan would play out of the question, and he actually got closer than we thought.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Cubs will be cautious with Hoerner\u2019s playing time early and look to give him games off, especially the first full week of the season when they play seven consecutive days. Nobody around the Cubs was surprised to see Hoerner back on the aggressive end of the rehab process, a testament to his diligence and work ethic.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe comes in and he doesn\u2019t get distracted by anything,\u201d manager Craig Counsell said. \u201cIt was not fun telling him that he wasn\u2019t going to Japan, but if anything for Nico it makes him go out and he doesn\u2019t get distracted. He goes out and crushes that day and then moves forward. And that\u2019s exactly what he did.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Cubs lineup becomes deeper and gains a high-contact hitter with Hoerner, who was slotted into the No. 6 spot Thursday. Ian Happ talked with Hoerner after his surgery and even then Happ could see there was no doubt he would be ready for this first series. Happ lauded Hoerner for being the first player at the complex every day during spring training and the last guy to leave, sticking around to watch every home spring game even though he didn\u2019t play in one with the regulars until the final exhibition.<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody sees all the work that he had to put in to get there,\u201d Happ said. \u201cHe\u2019s so far ahead of what the timeline was supposed to be for this. It\u2019s a testament to who he is.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve seen it for a long time, but I can\u2019t say enough just how much time and effort he puts in \u2014 he\u2019s the ultimate teammate, and he cares.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nico Hoerner\u2019s months of rehab from offseason surgery paid off Thursday when he started in the Chicago Cubs\u2019 10-6 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":44955,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[282,823,200,624,227],"class_list":["post-44954","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb","tag-chicago-cubs","tag-craig-counsell","tag-ian-happ","tag-jed-hoyer","tag-nico-hoerner"],"yoast_head":"\nNico Hoerner\u2019s return gives the Chicago Cubs lineup a boost: \u2018Nobody sees all the work that he had to put in\u2019 - 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=44954\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nico Hoerner\u2019s return gives the Chicago Cubs lineup a boost: \u2018Nobody sees all the work that he had to put in\u2019 - 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