CINCINNATI -- Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner went through running drills in left field at Great American Ball Park on Saturday afternoon and wrapped up his workout by signing autographs for a group of fans watching from the stands. When fans can see him take the field again is less clear at the moment.

Prior to Saturday¡¯s game against the Reds, Cubs manager Craig Counsell noted that imaging revealed that Hoerner sustained a small fracture in his right hand when he was hit by a Hunter Greene fastball during Thursday's 8-4 loss in Cincinnati. Counsell noted that multiple doctors said Hoerner could potentially play through the issue, but the Cubs are still weighing if a trip to the injured list is the proper path forward.

¡°We got a couple of doctors¡¯ opinions,¡± Counsell said on Saturday. ¡°And both are comfortable with him continuing to play when the pain and swelling subsides. I think right now we have some question whether that's kind of in a 10-day mark, or whether we just kind of play this day by day.

¡°He¡¯s sore today. He¡¯s got swelling. But all things considered, this is good news, really. And we¡¯re just going to see where we go.¡±

It was ¡°good news¡± in the sense that the setback could have been much worse. Hoerner has experience on that front, too, considering he dealt with a more severe fracture with his right wrist as a Minor Leaguer in 2019. It was a similar hit-by-pitch situation, but the current injury is impacting his hand (not the wrist).

The development was nonetheless frustrating for the 27-year-old Hoerner, who is a Gold Glove recipient at second base and one of the leaders behind the scenes for the Cubs. Initially, Hoerner hoped the results of imaging would show only a bone bruise. News of the fracture creates a more challenging scenario.

¡°It¡¯s definitely a one-day-at-a-time situation,¡± Hoerner said. ¡°Hand stuff can be a little scary -- just a lot of little things in there. As far as the fracture itself, ¡®Can't make it worse,¡¯ is nice to hear. As far as day-to-day pain, I think that is something that you can make worse, unfortunately. So I think it¡¯s being aware of just managing that.¡±

Counsell said the Cubs would monitor how Hoerner felt on Sunday, when Chicago wraps up its four-game road series with the Reds. The Cubs then have an off-day on Monday, followed by a three-game road set against Tampa Bay. That comes on the front end of a stretch of 18 games in 19 days for Chicago.

If Hoerner does land on the 10-day IL, the Cubs¡¯ backup options at the MLB level right now include David Bote or Christopher Morel. Utility man Miles Mastrobuoni and shortstop prospect Luis V¨¢zquez are on the 40-man roster with Triple-A Iowa. Nick Madrigal is not an option after fracturing his left hand via a hit-by-pitch on Wednesday with Iowa.

Hoerner is hoping this does not develop into a long-term setback, but he also knows he has to be smart about attacking the rehab and returning at the appropriate time.

¡°It¡¯s making sure that I come back at a time that's as soon as possible,¡± Hoerner said, ¡°but also in a place that's going to allow me to be a good version of myself and not deal with something that lasts for weeks or months on end. I think that's always the challenging part. People say things like, ¡®If it was later in the year, maybe you'd push it.¡¯ It's tough to say those things, because I feel like all games are pretty much created equal.

¡°And as we saw last year, when seasons come down to one or two games a lot of times, these games are just as important. But you also have to look at the long term. Those are challenging things. Luckily, we have a great support staff and people here that communicate well.¡±