<
>

Cubs place Nico Hoerner on IL

The Chicago Cubs placed second baseman Nico Hoerner on the injured list Friday with a left hamstring strain and recalled utility man Miles Mastrobuoni from Triple-A Iowa.

The IL move is retroactive to Tuesday. Manager David Ross said he's hopeful Hoerner will miss only the minimum amount of time.

The Cubs also activated left-handed pitcher Brandon Hughes from the 15-day IL and optioned right-hander Javier Assad to Triple-A.

Hoerner, 25, was batting .303 with two home runs and 19 RBIs in 35 games for the Cubs this season after he signed a three-year contract extension during spring training. In five seasons with the Cubs, he is a .281 hitter with 15 home runs and 120 RBIs in 282 games.

Mastrobuoni, 27, was 4-for-20 in eight games with the Cubs earlier this season. In 16 career games for the Tampa Bay Rays (2022) and Chicago over the past two seasons, he is 7-for-36 (.194) with a double and two RBIs.

Hughes, 27, appeared in five games for the Cubs before left knee inflammation flared up. He went 0-1 with a 3.18 ERA in 5 2/3 innings of relief.

Assad, 25, was 0-2 with a 5.09 ERA in five games (one start) for Chicago this year.