The Chicago Cubs are scuffling, losers of three games in a row after falling to the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday. The Cubs are now in last place in the NL Central, though they remain right in the thick of the mediocre Wild Card chase. More good news is that Seiya Suzuki is back in the lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Reds after missing Saturday's game with soreness on his left side.
Nico Hoerner remains out of the lineup with a fractured right hand. However, The Athletic's Patrick Mooney said Hoerner “might be able to play as soon as the pain and swelling subside.”
Cubs manager Craig Counsell addressed both injuries before Saturday's 4-3 loss, noting Suzuki was “day-to-day” and expressing optimism about his imminent return, which has come to fruition. Counsell said Hoerner saw multiple doctors after getting hit by a pitch earlier in the series:
Cubs' injury woes
The Cubs are 31-34 on the season and have dealt with a number of injury problems, including a prior injury to Seiya Suzuki. The outfielder missed nearly a month from mid-April to mid-May and then struggled throughout the rest of May after his return. He slashed just .219/.275/.329 in May, though the start of June has seen a major uptick in his production.
Chicago needs Suzuki to stay on the field and keep this form in order to turn things around. The Cubs' offense has been brutal for a while, with a lack of pop proving problematic. Cody Bellinger also missed time earlier this season and hasn't been as effective as he was in his bounce-back 2023 campaign. Meanwhile, Dansby Swanson has also battled injuries and is having one of the worst seasons of his career.
Suzuki does have seven home runs in just 39 games, so Chicago is relying on him for power in this underachieving lineup.
As for Nico Hoerner, he missed six games earlier in the season with a hamstring injury. The second baseman is yet another Cubs player who hasn't been as good this year after he posted a 5.0 WAR 2023 campaign. While his on-base percentage is close to last season, his other batting numbers are down. And after stealing 43 bases in 2023, he only has seven stolen bases in 57 games this year.
Not all is lost for Cubs
While the Cubs have been a major disappointment so far this season, they still have a great chance to make the playoffs. Chicago is only a game back of the final Wild Card spot and 1.5 games back of the second slot. The NL currently only has four teams over .500, so it's likely going to be a tight race down to the wire for those final playoff spots.
The Cubs have a lot of room for improvement given how poor some of their key hitters have been, and they could also look to bolster their roster ahead of the trade deadline. Pete Alonso trade rumors have been bandied about for a while ahead of his free agency, so would Jed Hoyer get involved there? There are now also whispers of a possible Vladimir Guerrero Jr. chase.
So while Chicago is currently uninspiring, it's a long season and things could change quickly.
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