The latest on Nico Hoerner’s surgery raises a few more uneasy questions about his availability to begin the 2025 season and potentially opens the door for top Cubs prospect Matt Shaw to have a bigger role on Opening Day.
The Cubs announced that Hoerner underwent successful right flexor tendon surgery after the regular season on Monday and The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney added a little more information about the injury. It turns out that Hoerner, who did play in 151 games in 2024, was dealing with a forearm issue for the majority of the season.
Yet, the big issue moving forward is whether Hoerner will be ready by the start of the 2025 season and well the update really only gave me some pause because there’s still no clear timetable for the second baseman.
Via The Athletic.
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Hoerner experienced discomfort in his right forearm for a significant portion of the season, and his general timeline for next year will depend on how he’s progressing once he reports for spring training in Arizona, according to sources.
This adds another uncertain element to a pivotal offseason for the Cubs. Hoerner is a Gold Glove defender at second base, a proven major-league shortstop and a leader by example in the Wrigley Field clubhouse.
Mooney mentions the possibility of Isaac Paredes or Michael Busch filling in at second base as each of those two players have previous experience at the position. However, if Hoerner’s status remains a mystery once spring training begins, then it would seem like Matt Shaw would be the obvious choice to get most of the reps at second.
There was always a good chance that Shaw was going to have a role with the 2025 Cubs from the very start of the season. I’ve been envisioning his playing time being spread out like Javier Báez back in 2016, with added at-bats as the designated hitter as well for Shaw next season. Now, with Hoerner’s health up in the air Shaw could be thrusted into a starting role right off the rip.
(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.
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.
