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1:34PM : Hoerner has a small fracture in his right hand, Counsell told and other reporters, and the Cubs are still deciding whether or not a stint on the injured list is the ideal course of action. Team doctors have okayed the po sibility of Hoerner playing if the swelling and discomfort in his hand di sipates. 9:05AM : The Cubs rough stretch continued with yesterdays 3-2 lo s to the Reds, which dropped Chicago into a tie with Cincinnati for second place in the NL Central. After spending a good chunk of Mckinley Moore Jersey the seasons first six weeks battling for the division lead, the Cubs are 7-16 over their last 23 games, thanks in large part to a lack of hitting. Since May 13, the Wrigleyville club has a collective 79 wRC+, ranking 29th of 30 teams in that span. More bad news mightve come for the lineup on Friday, when left the game due to discomfort in his left side. Suzuki was hit in the side by the ball while stealing second base in the first inning, and told and other media after the game that his side tightened up before he eventually left in the sixth inning. The move was described as precautionary, in part because Suzuki has already spent four weeks on the injured list this season due to a left oblique strain. That absence halted a strong start to Suzukis 2024 campaign, and the outfielder hasnt 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. It could be that a couple of days off might help Suzuki both heal his contusion and act as a refresher for his season, even if Chicago needs all the help it can get at the plate at the moment. The Cubs dont play on Monday, so if Suzuki doesnt show improvement today, its po sible he might sit both games this weekend to see if he can be fully ready for Tuesday and the start of the Cubs series with the Rays. If Suzukis injury seems relatively minor for now, s i sue with his right hand could be a larger concern, as the second baseman already mi sed Fridays game due to swelling and sorene s. Hoerner was hit by a fastball on Thursday, describing the situation to reporters (including ) as always scary. A lot of small bones in that area, and unfortunately, it happens a decent amount. But it seems like I got pretty lucky.Hopefully its just bruising and something that cleans up once you get inflammation out of there . Hoerners status is still unknown, as he will be getting more tests done since his first set of x-rays were somewhat inconclusive , in the words of manager . It could be that Hoerners hand is still too swollen for a fully accurate examination, as a smaller fracture might exist even if he has escaped without any obvious breaks. As Hoerner told Lee and company, he broke a small bone in his right wrist after a similar HBP incident in 2019. It has been something of 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+ just about matches the 104 wRC+ he averaged from 2021-23, and he is continuing his penchant for making a lot of contact but very little of it solid. One plus is a greatly increased walk rate, and Hoerners 10% walk rate is now ahead of his elite 9.5% strikeout rate. On the defensive side, Hoerners metrics round out to about average, which is a big dropoff for a fielder (and reigning Gold Glove winner) who is usually among the leagues best at second base. started at second base yesterday in Hoerners stead, and could be in line for quite a bit of regular action if Hoerner is forced to the IL. The Cubs may be facing a depth i sue in the infield since suffered a fractured hand (also after being hit by a pitch) in a Triple-A game earlier this week. and are both on the 40-man roster, so one of those infielders would almost certainly be the recall if Hoerner needed to mi s time. The Cubs did get some reinforcements back Friday when left-hander and right-hander were each activated from the 15-day injured list. Thompson was optioned to Triple-A, after being sidelined since the middle of May with a viral infection. Wicks remains on the Major League roster, and Counsell indicated the southpaw will work out of the Cubs bullpen for now in a long relief role. Wicks started his five previous MLB appearances this season while filling in for some other injured Cubs pitchers, but since Chicago is enjoying some rare rotation health at the moment, Wicks will join the relief corps and will likely be the first man up should another injury arise. Wicks hasnt pitched since April 23 due to a forearm strain that thankfully ended up being relatively minor in nature, rather than a precursor to a longer-term i sue. Tanner Tully Jersey