MINNEAPOLIS – As the Cubs weighed whether to put second baseman Nico Hoerner on the 10-day injured list, the calculation was more complicated than projecting if he’d need all 10 days to recover.
In the end, the Cubs put Hoerner (strained left hamstring) on the IL Friday before the series opener against the Twins.
“I don’t want to get it mixed up that the IL is a sign of a setback or anything like that,” Hoerner said, adding that all signs have been positive in his recovery. “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. And obviously, the way that I play requires me to move around a good bit.”
The Cubs backdated the move to Tuesday, so Hoerner becomes eligible to return next Friday. It’s expected to be a minimum stint, and the Cubs’ off days line up so that he’d only miss eight games if all goes to plan.
“There probably is a point during this 10-day stretch when I would be at a place to contribute on the field,” Hoerner said. “But they’re taking a 30,000-foot view that hopefully is the best thing both for me personally and the team.”
Hoerner tested his hamstring running Friday afternoon, and said he was “moving well” but wasn’t quite at 100%. Mapping out Hoerner’s return-to-play plan, manager David Ross said, was the deciding factor.
“Best-case scenario, we would probably get him back for four games, and was that ideal at 85, 90%?” Ross said. “Trying to balance that, I thought it was smart to just take advantage of the extra four days.”
It also helps that utility player Christopher Morel has gone 4-for-8 with a home run and three RBI since being recalled. And on Friday, the Cubs brought back Miles Mastrobuoni, who was slashing .291/.494/.455 in Triple-A, for added depth.
Hughes reinstated, Assad optioned
The Cubs made two other roster moves Friday. They reinstated left-hander Brandon Hughes from the 15-day IL and optioned right-hander Javier Assad to Triple-A Iowa.
Hughes has been dealing with recurring swelling in his left knee. But in five appearances in between a pair of IL stints, he posted a 3.18 ERA. He is the only left-handed reliever on the active roster.
Assad came up last week to serve as a long reliever. He piggybacked Jameson Taillon’s last two starts while the veteran, returning from the IL, was on a pitch limit. Assad pitched five or more innings in each outing and held opponents to a total of two runs.
“The message is, ‘You’re the best,’” Ross said. “So fortunate to have a guy that we can move up and down and be able to fill multiple roles. I still think the value there is to continue to keep him stretched out.”
Praise for Vázquez
Two catchers from the 2014 Boston Red Sox were in opposing dugouts Friday, Ross and Twins catcher Christian Vázquez.
“He’s one of those guys that we even talked to this offseason and earmarked as somebody that we think is a really valuable catcher,’ Ross said of Vázquez, who was a free agent this winter. “He’s a great catcher, He’s a great leader, world series champion.”