Cubs' Nico Hoerner: Gets call to big leagues
The Cubs will call up Hoerner from Double-A Tennessee ahead of Monday's game against the Padres, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports. He's starting at shortstop and hitting sixth in his big-league debut.
Hoerner is one of the top prospects in the Cubs' farm system, but the 22-year-old wasn't expected to make his big-league debut until 2020 before late-season injuries to Javier Baez (wrist) and Addison Russell (head) decimated the team's depth at shortstop. Expect Hoerner to immediately step in as the Cubs' everyday option at the position while the aforementioned two players are unavailable, but he shouldn't be counted on to provide a major fantasy impact in his first taste of the majors. Hoerner boasts strong bat-to-ball skills and could deliver a useful batting average in September, but he's unlikely to offer much counting-stats production while presumably occupying a spot near the bottom of the order.
