I appreciate that Nico Hoerner has been straight forward about his offseason surgery. His first update earlier in the offseason didn’t paint a rosy picture and well the latest comments from the Cubs second baseman didn’t make fans feel any better when it comes to Hoerner’s chances of being ready by Opening Day.
Hoerner underwent right flexor tendon surgery in October. While he actually had a strong finish to the 2024 season at the plate, Hoerner did say his throwing was negatively impacted by the arm issue.
This past weekend at the Cubs Convention, Hoerner was asked about his status and whether or not he will be on the field when the Cubs begin their 2025 season against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Japan on March 18.
Right now, it appears as though Hoerner will not rush back from his recovery. The infielder said he still has not started a throwing program and has not been hitting since the surgery.
Nico Hoerner (flexor tendon surgery) says he dealt with the injury throughout '24 season & most impacted his throws.
— Meghan Montemurro (@M_Montemurro) January 18, 2025
Hoerner hasn't started throwing program or hitting & didn't have answer yet whether he'll be ready for Opening Day (in Japan 3/18, 3/27 at AZ or home opener 4/4).
That development certainly puts a bigger focus on upgrading the bench to begin the 2025 season for the Cubs. While top prospect Matt Shaw is getting the opportunity to earn the starting job at third base, no Hoerner suddenly leaves a giant question mark in the infield. Even if Shaw moves to second base to fill in for Hoerner, then third base becomes a serious issue for the Cubs.
As things currently stand, the Cubs have Luis Vazquez, Vidal Bruján, Gage Workman and Benjamin Cowles on their 40-man roster as the infield depth.
The Cubs attempted to sign veteran infielder Josh Rojas this offseason and he would have been an ideal bench player for the team this season. However, Rojas decided to sign with the White Sox, who had the advantage of guaranteeing him more playing time on their rebuilding roster.
According to recent rumors the Cubs have been interested in signing free agent Yoan Moncada among the available players left on the market.
(Previous Update)
Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner had a surprise surgery following the end of the 2024 regular season and everything we’ve heard about his status for the start of 2025 doesn’t paint a rosy picture for the 2023 gold glove winner. Hoerner was recently on 670 The Score and even he couldn’t confidently say that he would be fully healthy by the time spring training comes around in February.
Hoerner, who played in 151 of the team’s 162 games this past season, underwent right flexor tendon surgery in early October. During his appearance on the Spiegel & Holmes Show Thursday, Hoerner was asked directly if he would be ready when the Cubs report to Mesa, Ariz., to begin preparation for the 2025 season. Here’s how Hoerner responded.
Via 670 The Score.
“There are no worries about February like you’ll be full go by training camp,” Laurence Holmes asks.
“No, I don’t know. We’re working on it. I think projecting that far out ahead is a bit challenging. It’s an injury that most of the timelines I feel like are based on pitchers. So, I think there’s going to be some feel throughout that process, but I’m feeling good about it right now.”
Sure, I’d love for Hoerner to say that he’ll be 100% in four months, but at the same time this is his first ever surgery and like he pointed out most of the timelines for returns are based on pitchers, who primarily get the flexor tendon surgery.
Hoerner said the arm issue mainly effected his throwing, jokingly pointing out his throws during the month of September. Meanwhile, the second baseman hit .355 in the final month of the season, sixth-best among all players in MLB.
So, hopefully Hoerner’s rehab goes as smooth as possible this offseason. Fingers crossed that he’ll be fine by the start of spring training.
(Previous Update)
Ummm, this seems bad. We always expect to hear an announcement or two during the offseason regarding a player needing surgery and you always cross your fingers that it isn’t something big, but this surgery to Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner seems major.
On Monday, the Cubs announced that Hoerner underwent right flexor tendon surgery earlier in October.
Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner underwent right flexor tendon surgery on Oct. 11th, team announces.
— Meghan Montemurro (@M_Montemurro) October 21, 2024
Dr. Keith Meister performed the procedure.
This is coming completely out of nowhere because although Hoerner did miss a few games on two separate occasions during the 2024 season he never went on the injured list and played in 151 games. Hoerner did deal with a hand fracture back in June, but he was back in the lineup after only missing a handful of games. No idea if this new development is related.
There’s still no word from the Cubs regarding a timetable for Hoerner’s recovery, but at the very least his offseason program will be affected by this procedure. Will he be ready by spring training? Will this affect his performance at the plate in 2025?
Another big issue is that whether you believe he should be shopped or not this winter, Hoerner undergoing a serious surgery pretty much sinks his trade value during the next 4-5 months.
Hoerner, 27, will begin the 2025 season with two years left on his contract with the Cubs.
