Cubs to give Nico Hoerner everyday role upon return from injury

With a clear eye on the future, the Chicago Cubs will give Nico Hoerner significant run at shortstop when he returns to action.

The Chicago Cubs completed their roster teardown at the trade deadline, as Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and Anthony Rizzo were all gone. That means there are opportunities for some young players over the rest of the season, including one-time top prospect Nico Hoerner.

After making his major league debut in 2019 and playing 48 games last season, Hoerner is hitting .313 in 39 games for the Cubs this year. But he has been sidelined since late July with a right oblique injury, but he is set to start a rehab assignment on Sunday in what will be the final stage of his return to the lineup.

Hoerner has played all over the field for the Cubs in parts of three seasons now, with a strong tilt toward the middle infield spots. His future is surely at one of those spots, and the team seems set to find out when he returns to the lineup.

The Cubs have a rest of season plan for Nico Hoerner

According to Bruce Levine of 670 The Score, the Cubs will make Hoerner their every day shortstop when he completes his minor league assignment.

Going back to his college days at Stanford, Hoerner has played shortstop more than any other position. He is very strong defensively, and while he’ll probably never be a power hitter he has proven he can handle big league pitching in three short samples thus far.

Baez was likely to leave in free agency this offseason, and as this season went off the rails trading him became practically inevitable. Rather than having to wait until 2022 to see if Hoerner can be their shortstop of the future, the Cubs can get a head start on that with little else of value to come out of waning weeks of the 2021 campaign.