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The Cubs announced that shortstop Nico Hoerner has a hairline fracture of his left wrist. Hoerner was the team’s first-round draft pick last summer and considered by many to be the Cubs top prospect.
Hoerner was hit by a pitch on April 23 and has been on the disabled list ever since. When he started the process to return to the field, he didn’t feel right and the Cubs ordered another CT scan on his left wrist. This scan found a hairline fracture where his forearm meets his wrist.
Hoerner will be in a splint for the next three weeks after which he’ll be evaluated again. He’ll be out until at least late-June.
Hoerner had gotten off to a fast start with the Double-A Tennessee Smokies this season, hitting .300/.391/.500 in 18 games and 60 at-bats. That start got him moved up to number 64 on Baseball America’s Top 100 prospects list earlier this month. This setback is obviously bad news, but it shouldn’t really impact the long-term development of Hoerner.