Hoerner (forearm) to skip Tokyo Series as he continues rehab

MESA, Ariz. -- Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner will not travel to Japan for the season-opening Tokyo Series against the Dodgers, a move the Cubs believe is the best way to prepare him for the regular season.

Hoerner underwent flexor tendon surgery in his right forearm on Oct. 11, and while his rehab has progressed, he remains limited in Spring Training.

“This is a good news situation,” manager Craig Counsell said. “For Nico, it is not necessarily good news in that he has to miss two games and has to miss the trip. But on the other side of it, it is good news, because we are very much tracking toward domestic Opening Day of him being ready for that and prepared for that.”

The Cubs open the regular season with a four-game series in Arizona against the Diamondbacks on March 27.

“His rehab has taken a step forward in the last three weeks,” Counsell said. “He is starting to progress quicker. We’re in a really good spot, and if we can have him for domestic Opening Day, going back to the surgery date, it would be a very positive result.”

The Cubs will play the Dodgers overseas in the two-game series March 18-19, and the trip will carve about 10 days out of their Spring Training schedule. Their last Cactus League game is March 11, and they are not back until March 21.

Hoerner would not be sufficiently recovered to play in Japan, Counsell said, and the Cubs do not want to interfere with his normal progression.

“He needs at-bats,” Counsell said. “He needs to play. At that point, he needs to be a baseball player, and the trip just does not allow for him to do that in the proper way. There is just not enough time when we get back to say, ‘OK, you’re going to play in three games and get ready for the regular season.’”

Vidal Brujan and new addition Jon Berti are the candidates to play second base in Japan, Counsell said.

Left-hander Jordan Wicks seemed to put his teammates' feelings into perspective after hearing that Hoerner will not make the trip to Japan.

"Me personally, I will take him for 160 [games] instead of for two," Wicks said after giving up two runs in 2 2/3 innings on Thursday. "I'll make that trade every day of the year. It was exciting news for us, hearing that he could potentially be ready for opening day here."

Meanwhile, no decision has been made on third baseman Matt Shaw’s availability for the Japan trip. Shaw is recovering from an oblique injury suffered on Feb. 5.

Shaw is scheduled to face live pitching for the first time on Saturday and will make his first Cactus League appearance on Sunday, Counsell said.

“Nothing is off the table with Matt,” Counsell said.

Hoerner hit on the field Thursday while working under a limited swing count as he progresses toward full health. While he played 151 games last season, it was through limitations caused by a broken right hand and the forearm issue.

“You just know that [he] wasn’t at full strength for the whole year, so excited he is going to get a start to a season where he is 100 percent healthy,” Cubs hitting coach Dustin Kelly said. “Nico has been tremendously understanding with what we are trying to do with him. We’ve hit the ground running with some of the mechanical stuff that he is wanting to accomplish.”

Hoerner, in the second year of a three-year, $35 million extension, has been one of the Cubs’ most valuable players the last two seasons. He had a 12.8 WAR (per FanGraphs) in 2023-24 with 26 homers and 94 stolen bases. He is plus-38 in Outs Above Average in that stretch, the eighth-best in the Majors. He won a Gold Glove in 2023.