Nico Hoerner Leaves the Game in Apparent Discomfort After Running the Bases (UPDATE)

May 8, 2023, by Brett Taylor Chicago Cubs

I wanted the Cubs to tie the game, but not like that.

You had Dansby Swanson ripping a double up the third base line, and Nico Hoerner was probably trying to at least THINK about scoring from first. As he turned the corner at second base, you could see him grimace and slow up. Everyone watching was speculating about the hamstring.

Here is Nico Hoerner rounding second base in the bottom of the 5th.

He exited the game after this and was replaced by Nick Madrigal. pic.twitter.com/he1LrjaJe4
— Andy Martínez (@amartinez_11) May 9, 2023

#Cubs Nico Hoerner looked to be in pain as he pulled up running to 3rd base. After a visit with David Ross and head athletic trainer Nick Frangella, he is removed from the game.
— Taylor McGregor (@Taylor_McGregor) May 9, 2023

Hoerner was ultimately pulled from the game and replaced at third base by Nick Madrigal (not Christopher Morel, for reasons I do not understand in the least). More details when they’re available.

UPDATE: It was, indeed, the hamstring:

Nico Hoerner exited tonight’s game with left hamstring tightness, according to a Cubs spokesman. Hoerner, who’s been on the injured list five times during his major-league career, was sidelined for six weeks with a strained left hamstring in 2021.
— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) May 9, 2023

For now, it’s just “tightness,” though we will see how Hoerner feels when wakes up tomorrow. That’s usually when you know whether an MRI will be required, and you start to worry about a strain. Fingers crossed.

Filed to: Chicago Cubs