Hoerner confident he won't need to go on injured list
A stint on the injured list seemed inevitable Monday when Nico Hoerner pulled up while running the bases and headed into the dugout with left hamstring tightness.
A day later, Hoerner said he felt really good, and the Cubs believe he will not need to spend time on the injured list. He was not in Tuesday's starting lineup, as Christopher Morel was at second with Nick Madrigal in the leadoff spot.
Cubs manager David Ross said Hoerner got an MRI exam on Tuesday morning, which confirmed the original diagnosis of a very mild injury.
"I don't think anybody had any serious red flags (Monday)," Ross said before the game. "Confirming that this morning was nice. He's a competitor and wanted to stay in. You talk to him after the game, I think he thought it was a really smart idea not to push anything."
Hoerner started all 35 games to open the season, mostly at second base, but once at shortstop. So this was his first non-start.
Yan Gomes (concussion) continued to ramp up his activity and took batting practice Tuesday. He's still on the injured list for now, but Ross confirmed Gomes is close to returning.
Amaya makes right calls:
With Yan Gomes nearing a return, Miguel Amaya could be headed back to the minors soon. But Amaya has earned nothing but rave reviews during his major-league debut. In five games at catcher, his battery ERA is 2.32, according to baseball-reference.com.
"It is hard, but having all those little scouting reports, it makes everything easier, because we can read swings and everything, but having those little details help us and make everything easy when we put the call down," Amaya said.
The Panama native said he builds confidence in his pitch-calling during pregame meetings with pitchers. Between innings, he listens to advice from Gomes in the dugout.
"He's always watching every single thing," Amaya said of Gomes. "So he just gives me little advice, just how to set up, where my target has to be, just the little things so I can help my pitchers."
Amaya has gone through Tommy John surgery and as a result, played in just 23 and 40 games in the minors the past two seasons, and none at catcher last year. So the Cubs may be conservative about keeping him as the full-time backup catcher, but that day will likely arrive.
"The thing I've liked is the slow heartbeat in the big moments," manager David Ross said. "Being able to block the ball with the game on the line, runner at third in extra innings. The plate discipline, the calm at-bats."
Hendricks improves:
Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks made drastic improvements in his third rehab start for Iowa on Tuesday. He threw 5 scoreless innings against Toledo, allowing just 2 hits, no walks with 4 strikeouts on 61 pitches.
In his first two starts for Iowa, Hendricks posted a 20.77 ERA. He had a bullpen session in front of Cubs coaches at Wrigley Field on Sunday and said afterward he felt it was very beneficial. ... Codi Heuer followed Hendricks to the mound, making his second appearance since recovering from Tommy John surgery. ... In another minor-league pitching note, the Cubs promoted 2022 first-round draft pick Cade Horton to South Bend and he's expected to start Wednesday on the road against Wisconsin. In four starts at low A Myrtle Beach, Horton posted a 1.26 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 14 innings.
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