The Cubs’ tough run continued with yesterday’s 3-2 loss to the Reds, pulling Chicago into a tie with Cincinnati for second place in the NL Central. After spending much of the first six weeks of the season fighting for the top of the division, the Cubs are 7-16 over their last 23 games, thanks in large part to a lack of hitting. Since May 13, Wrigleyville has a combined 79+, ranking 29th out of 30 teams in that span.
Maybe more bad news will come for the lineup on Friday, when Sia Suzuki He left the game due to discomfort in his left side. Suzuki was hit in the side by a ball while stealing second base in the first inning and was flagged down MLB.com and other media after the match that his team “Tighten” before eventually leaving in the sixth inning. The move was described as precautionary, in part because Suzuki had already spent four weeks on the injured list this season with a left oblique strain.
This absence halted Suzuki’s strong start to the 2024 season, and the player has not looked the same since his return. Suzuki had an .893 OPS over his first 68 plate appearances, but has hit .234/.298/.415 in 104 PA since being activated from the IL. A few days off could help Suzuki heal his bruise and serve as a rejuvenation for his season, even if Chicago needs all the help it can get right now. The Cubs don’t play on Monday, so if Suzuki doesn’t show improvement today, he could sit out both games this weekend to see if he can be fully ready for Tuesday and start the Cubs’ series with the Rays.
If Suzuki’s injury seems relatively minor at the moment, Nico HornerThe issue with his right hand could be a bigger concern, as the second baseman already missed Friday’s game due to swelling and pain. Horner was hit with a Hunter Green Fastball on Thursday, describing the situation to reporters (including… Maddy Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times) like “Always scary. There are a lot of small bones in that area, and unfortunately, this occurs in a fair amount. But it looks like I was very lucky….I hope it’s just bruising and something that can be cleaned up once the inflammation gets out of there“.
Horner’s condition is still unknown, as he will undergo further tests since his first set of X-rays were taken.Somewhat inconclusive“, said the director Craig’s advisor. It is possible that Horner’s hand was still too swollen for a completely accurate examination, as there may have been a smaller fracture even if he survived without any obvious fractures. As Horner told Lee and his teammates, he broke a small bone in his right wrist after a similar accident at HBP in 2019.
It’s been a typical season for Hoerner, who is batting .252/.344/.352 with two homers over his first 241 trips to the plate. His 105 wRC+ is nearly identical to the 104 wRC+ he averaged from 2021-23, and he continues his tendency to make a lot of contact but very few of them are solid. One plus is a significantly increased walk rate, and Hoerner’s 10% walk rate is now ahead of his elite strikeout rate of 9.5%. Defensively, Hoerner’s metrics are about average, a significant drop for a player (a Gold Glove winner) who is typically among the league’s best at second base.
David Bott He started at second base yesterday in place of Hoerner, and could be in line for a significant amount of regular work if Hoerner is forced to the IL. The Cubs could have a depth problem in the outfield from then on Nick Madrigal He suffered a broken hand (also after being hit by a pitch) in a Triple-A game earlier this week. Miles Mastroponi And Luis Vasquez Both are on the 40-man roster, so one of those players will almost certainly be called up if Horner needs to miss time.
The Cubs got some reinforcements on Friday as lefties Jordan Weeks And the right Keegan Thompson Each was activated from the 15-day injured list. Thompson was optioned to Triple-A, after being sidelined since mid-May due to a viral infection.
Wicks remains on the major league roster, and Chancellor noted that the southpaw will work out of the bullpen for the Cubs for the time being in a long relief role. Weeks has started his previous five MLB games this season while filling in for some other injured Cubs pitchers, but since Chicago has some rare rotation health at the moment, Weeks will join the relief corps and likely be the first man up should another injury arise. Weeks has not played since April 23 due to a forearm strain that fortunately ended up being relatively minor in nature, and not a precursor to a long-term problem.
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