Cubs' Hoerner out at least a month

Nico Hoerner's return to the Minor Leagues has been put on hold.
CT scans revealed the top Cubs prospect suffered a hairline fracture in his left wrist, Chicago's president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said Monday. Hoerner -- out since getting hit by a pitch on April 23 -- had begun a hitting progression at the club's complex in Arizona when he felt discomfort after a few days. He'll be reevaluated after wearing a splint for three weeks.

"He'll be out at least a month, obviously," Epstein told reporters.

Chicago's 2018 first-round pick compiled a slash line of .300/.391/.500 in 60 at-bats with Double-A Tennessee before the injury. He impressed with an inside-the-park home run -- one of his eight extra-base hits -- and collected seven walks while striking out seven times. The brief sample followed up a strong pro debut last summer, when the Stanford product reached Class A South Bend and posted a 1.021 OPS across three levels. He skipped Class A Advanced by starting this season with the Smokies.
Then a 2-2 pitch from Chattanooga's Tejay Antone sent Hoerner to the injured list. The Cubs originally believed the injury to be no worse than a bruise.
Hoerner's 2018 campaign ended early after he dove for a ball and suffered a left elbow injury. However, MLB.com's No. 64 overall prospect made up for some of the lost time in the Arizona Fall League, where he posted a .337/.362/.506 slash line with four triples, four doubles and 11 RBIs in 21 games.