Chicago Cubs middle infielder Nico Hoerner (hamstring) was still feeling his hamstring issue on Thursday and was held out of the lineup again in Friday's loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. He's still being considered day-to-day and is hoping to avoid a stint on the injured list. Manager Craig Counsell said, "If it's still lingering, then it's on the table." Hoerner has now missed four straight games and could land on the IL if he's unable to play in either of the final two games in the weekend series against Pittsburgh. Regular shortstop Dansby Swanson (knee) is also on the IL, so the Cubs have been getting by with Miles Mastrobuoni at shortstop and Nick Madrigal at second base. Hoerner, a former first-rounder in 2018 out of Stanford, deserves to be stashed in most fantasy leagues if he is placed on the IL. He's currently hitting .269/.361/.391 with two homers, 12 RBI and five steals in 2024.

Chicago Cubs middle infielder Nico Hoerner (hamstring) remains out of the starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates. Miles Mastrobuoni will get another start at the 6 and will hit sixth, with Nick Madrigal once again manning the keystone and hitting seventh against baseball's top prospect in right-hander Paul Skenes. Dansby Swanson (knee) is on the injured list with knee soreness, so Chicago's middle infield is thinned out at this time. The 27-year-old Hoerner is day-to-day with left-hamstring tightness but has now missed his fourth straight game. If he's unable to rejoin the Cubs' lineup this weekend, he could join Swanson on the IL. DFS gamers can probably find better options at shortstop and second base than Mastrobuoni and Madrigal, who are both light-hitting utility infielders.

Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner (hamstring), who remained out of Thursday's lineup, went through a more regular pregame workout before the game against the division-rival Pittsburgh Pirates, manager Craig Counsell said. If all goes well, the hope is that Hoerner will be back in Chicago's lineup for the second game of the series against Pittsburgh on Friday. The 27-year-old contact-hitting infielder appears to be on the cusp of a return from tightness in his left hamstring after being out of the lineup in each of the past three contests, so fantasy managers should expect to get him back without needing a trip to the injured list. In 41 games (156 at-bats) before picking up the injury, Hoerner slashed .269/.361/.391 with two home runs, 11 doubles, 12 RBI, 25 runs scored, and five stolen bases as the Cubs' primary leadoff hitter.

Chicago Cubs middle infielder Nico Hoerner (hamstring) remains out of the starting lineup on Thursday against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates. Hoerner will miss a third straight game after being scratched from Tuesday's contest versus the Atlanta Braves with left-hamstring tightness. The 27-year-old remains day-to-day, but if his absence extends into the weekend against Pittsburgh, the Cubbies may have to consider placing him on the injured list. It would be bad news for Chicago's middle infield, as Dansby Swanson (knee) is already on the shelf with knee soreness. Miles Mastrobuoni is making another start at the 6 on Thursday and is hitting eighth against Pirates rookie right-hander Jared Jones. Both Mastrobuoni and Nick Madrigal, who is playing second, are weak DFS plays as middle infielders.

Chicago Cubs middle infielder Nico Hoerner (hamstring) will stay out of the lineup on Wednesday on the road against the Atlanta Braves. It will be Hoerner's second straight missed game after he was scratched from Tuesday's lineup with left-hamstring tightness. Fantasy managers should consider Hoerner to be day-to-day for now and check back to see if he's playing in Thursday's series opener at Wrigley Field against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates. With Hoerner out again on Wednesday, Miles Mastrobuoni will get another start at the 6 and will bat sixth against Braves right-hander Charlie Morton. Mastrobuoni has never faced Morton in his career and should be considered a pretty deep DFS sleeper with low upside. The 28-year-old is 3-for-23 on the year and has only hit one home run with seven RBI and 14 stolen bases in 82 career games.

Chicago Cubs infielder Nico Hoerner (hamstring) has been scratched from Tuesday's starting lineup against the Atlanta Braves due to left-hamstring tightness. With Hoerner now out, Miles Mastrobuoni will handle the starting duties at shortstop and will bat eighth against Braves left-hander Chris Sale. It remains to be seen how serious Hoerner's hamstring injury is, so his fantasy managers will want to check back later on Tuesday or early Wednesday. Either way, there's a good chance the 27-year-old will be given the day off on Wednesday. The former 24th overall pick in 2018 out of Stanford is having a solid season, slashing .269/.361/.391 with two home runs, 12 RBI and five stolen bases in 156 at-bats. With Dansby Swanson (knee) currently on the injured list, Hoerner has slid over from second base to the 6.

Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner went 1-for-4 with a pair of walks in a 7-6 loss to the New York Mets on Thursday. Hoerner didn't run much early in the season, swiping just one base in April. That caused some panic among his fantasy owners, who expected much closer to the 43 stolen bases Hoerner picked up in 2023. Those owners will be happy with the last two games though, as the speedster picked up three steals to bring his season total to four. If he keeps running at that pace, there is no reason to worry about Hoerner.

Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner has had a rough go of it in the Cactus League thus far. The second baseman has had 41 at-bats, but just two runs and three RBI to go along with six hits. Hoerner, 26, is coming off another strong campaign for the Cubs and finished 2023 with nine homers, 68 RBI and 43 stolen bases in 150 games. He also hit a healthy .283 with a .729 OPS. It's always a risk to read too much into Spring Training results with proven commodities and despite Hoerner's tough time this spring, managers should have no hesitation about grabbing him in upcoming drafts. His ADP of 60 is high, but his position and ability to help across the board provide managers with good value.

Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner is 0-for-5 through two Cactus League games. He was 0-for-3 in his debut, a 7-0 loss to the Padres on Sunday, and 0-for-2 on Tuesday in a tie versus the Reds. He batted in his typical leadoff spot on Sunday, but on Tuesday he was uncharacteristically batting cleanup. That shouldn't be the case during the regular season as he spent his time hitting out of the 1-2 spots in the order all of last year, and his speed profile is more suited for the top of the order with his 43 stolen bases in 2023. He's less suited for the middle of the order as he isn't a big power producer (1.8% Barrel%), with just nine home runs and 68 RBI last season. He does have supremely high contact rates that make him one of the best in the league at putting the bat on the ball, which makes him a more attractive asset in points leagues. As for roto, he's going around 60th overall, well ahead of his RotoBaller rank of 78.

Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson and second baseman Nico Hoerner both won Gold Gloves in 2023. It's Swanson's second straight Gold Glove, while Hoerner won his first Gold Glove this year. Swanson's 20 outs above average led all MLB shortstops, and he also set a career-high with 18 defensive runs saved, which led all shortstops. The Cubs had a franchise-record three Gold Gloves this year with left fielder Ian Happ also winning the award. Other National League Gold Glove winners in 2023 include Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker, Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes, Diamondbacks rookie catcher Gabriel Moreno, Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler, Colorado Rockies center fielder ... [More]

Chicago Cubs infielder Nico Hoerner (knee) is out of the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers. This comes after Hoerner fouled a ball off his knee during Friday's game. Luckily, it appears Hoerner has avoided serious injury and is available off the bench for this game. In his absence, Christopher Morel will bat leadoff and cover second base versus left-hander Eric Lauer on Saturday.

Chicago Cubs infielder Nico Hoerner (knee) exited Friday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers due to a left knee contusion. He went 0-for-3 before Miles Mastrobuoni took over for him at second base in the seventh inning. Hoerner fouled a ball off his knee during the sixth frame but stayed in for the bottom half defensively, insinuating that he's not dealing with a significant injury. The Cubs, losers of fourth straight after Friday's deflating extra-inning defeat, hope the speedy contact hitter can push through the bruise this weekend as they vie for an NL wild-card berth. On top of great defense at the keystone, Hoerner is batting .283 with 68 RBI, 98 runs scored, and 43 stolen bases in 619 at-bats during 2023.

Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner is out of Saturday's starting lineup against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Fantasy managers shouldn't need to worry as this appears to be a routine rest day for Hoerner. The 26-year-old has gone 2-for-8 with an RBI through the first two games of this series. Nick Madrigal will cover second base and bat ninth versus right-hander Colin Selby on Saturday. Fantasy managers should adjust their lineups accordingly with Hoerner on the bench.

Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner collected three singles in the loss to the Kansas City Royals Friday. Hoerner was 3-for-4 with a strikeout. He also walked and drove in a run. Hoerner has been great as an option at second base and should also have shortstop eligibility. Though he doesn't have great power, he's been contributing in all other categories, even in those leagues that use OBP instead of AVG. Over his last 15 games, he has a .356/.457/.525 slash line, and he's been even hotter than that over his last seven.

Chicago Cubs infielder Nico Hoerner will take the day off on Friday as the team faces the visiting Atlanta Braves. In his absence, Nick Madrigal will get the start at second base and will bat leadoff for the Cubbies against left-hander Max Fried. Hoerner has mostly been useful to fantasy managers for his speed -- he's stolen 26 bases this year and 46 in the last two seasons -- but he's also hitting a strong .277/.330/.399 with eight home runs, 20 doubles, four triples, 58 RBI and 64 runs scored in 463 trips to the plate over 100 games as Chicago's starting second baseman. The 26-year-old has been on fire offensively since July 22, going 17-for-49 (.347) with two homers, five doubles, four RBI, five stolen bases and 13 runs scored in 11 games.

Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner went 3-for-4 Saturday with a base on balls and three runs scored in an 8-6 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. However, Hoerner was struggling, slashing 176/.256/.257 throughout July. He's stolen 22 bases out of 25 attempts in 90 games played this season. This is a considerable improvement compared to last year, as the 26-year-old only managed to swipe 20 bags in 135 contests. Besides stealing bases, Hoerner has six home runs with 54 RBI.

Chicago Cubs shortstop Nico Hoerner went 2-for-5 with a grand slam in an 8-3 win over the Washington Nationals on Wednesday. Hoerner's first career grand slam came in the eighth inning and broke what had been a close game wide open. The 26-year-old infielder is putting together a solid season for the Cubs, hitting .272 with six homers, 51 runs, 54 RBI, and 21 steals across 371 at-bats. After a cold streak to open July, he is hitting .250 with nine RBI over his past seven games.

Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner went 3-for-4 with two RBI, a stolen base, and a run scored in a lopsided 10-1 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Friday afternoon. The Cubs were all over Guardians starter Cal Quantrill in this one, pummeling him for six earned runs. Hoerner put Chicago on the board in the bottom of the third inning with a two-run single to score Jared Young and Nick Madrigal. He would pick up two more singles in the contest and come around to score via a Christopher Morel homer in the bottom of the sixth. The 26-year-old has been hot over his last 65 at-bats (15 games), posting a .865 OPS with 13 RBI and four stolen bases. Hoerner is slashing a rock-solid .290/.338/.406 with five home runs, 42 RBI, and 18 stolen bases over 303 at-bats on the year. He's finally putting it all together this season and in on pace to smash all of his previous career highs.

Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner is starting at the keystone and is hitting leadoff for the Cubbies on Friday against Baltimore Orioles left-hander Cole Irvin. Hoerner will get a chance at the top of Chicago's batting order after hitting in the two-hole recently. Mike Tauchman will take a seat with a left-hander on the mound for Baltimore. Hoerner is currently riding a modest four-game hitting streak in which he's gone 6-for-18 (.333) with one RBI, two stolen bases and six runs scored. The 26-year-old middle infielder is most useful for his speed (16 stolen bases this year), while he's also hitting a solid .283 (71-for-251) with 29 RBI and 38 runs scored in 60 games played in the Windy City.

Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner made a difference right away in Friday night's 10-1 shellacking of the Philadelphia Phillies in his first game back from the injured list. Out of the leadoff spot, Hoerner went 3-for-6 with two doubles and four RBI. Fantasy managers have to be pretty happy that the 26-year-old infielder hit the ground running right after missing time due to a hamstring injury. He's been great so far for the Cubs, hitting .310 (49-for-158) with eight double, a triple, two home runs, 23 RBI, 12 stolen bases and 25 runs scored in 170 plate appearances over 36 games played. Hoerner will continue to have plenty of value in all fantasy leagues as the Cubs' primary second baseman.