The Chicago Cubs’ optimism that second baseman Nico Hoerner could avoid a stint on the injured list met reality Friday.

Hoerner landed on the 10-day IL before the series opener against the Minnesota Twins, retroactive to Tuesday. He will be eligible to rejoin the Cubs for their series in Philadelphia to close out their nine-game trip. Infielder Miles Mastrobuoni was recalled from Triple-A Iowa. The Cubs also activated left-hander Brandon Hughes from the IL and optioned right-hander Javier Assad.

Hoerner’s IL move isn’t the result of any setbacks with his left hamstring strain. Hoerner made clear he has experienced “nothing but positives” with his recovery since suffering the injury Monday night. Ultimately the team’s best-case return-to-play scenario for Hoerner had him missing half the trip and playing at potentially not 100%, which also would have left the bench short-handed for that stretch.

“Definitely the priority is on treating the strain thoroughly and giving myself a chance to be the best version of myself when I am back on the field,” Hoerner said Friday. “Obviously the way I play I move around a good bit.”

The Cubs wanted to be smart with how they handled Hoerner’s hamstring strain and take advantage of the extra days he will get on the IL. He ran on the field Friday afternoon to test the hamstring and was pleased by how he moved.

“Maximizing how do we get the most out of Nico Hoerner for the 162-game schedule and we thought that was ideal,” Ross said.

Hoerner admitted it’s challenging to go along with a plan that keeps him out longer than when he could be ready to play, but he’s keeping the big picture in mind. Two Thursday off days save Hoerner from missing additional games.

“When you break it down like that, it makes a little bit more sense and it’s a little bit easier to wrap your head around, but you never want to miss time,” Hoerner said. “You want to be on the field when you feel capable, and there’s probably at some point during this 10-day stretch when I would be at a place to contribute on the field, but the 30,000-foot view that hopefully it’s the best thing to go through me personally and the team.”

The Cubs’ improved infield depth gives Hoerner peace of mind knowing the roster features quality fill-ins during his absence. Christopher Morel started at second base and hit lead off Friday against the Twins.

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