Cubs’ Nico Hoerner returns to lineup, hits walk-off single in 10th to beat Braves

Erin Hooley/AP

Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner paused as he approached the dugout mid-celebration, spread his arms and embraced the ice water pouring out of the cooler.

Not only was he back in the lineup, after he’d been sidelined for a week for a tight left hamstring. But he had just hit a walk-off single, a chopper to the right side of the infield, in the 10th inning of the Cubs’ 4-3 win Tuesday against the Braves.

"It was fun," Hoerner said with a smile.

Hoerner and shortstop Dansby Swanson, who the Cubs activated from the 10-day IL (sprained knee), returned to the lineup on Tuesday. It marked the first time the Cubs had the staples of their lineup all together since mid-April.

The Cubs also called up infielder Luis Vázquez, who has been in the organization since the Cubs drafted him out of high school in Puerto Rico in 2017. He could make his major-league debut this week. In corresponding movies, the Cubs optioned center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and infielder Miles Mastrobuoni to Triple-A Iowa.

“It's a support role, there's no question,” Counsell said of Vázquez. “At this point with Dansby and Nico, like we're gonna look at, how are they doing? And we'll evaluate that day by day, just to see, are we past this, do we still need to manage it? And I think we'll not go in with anything preconceived but just manage it day to day.”

So, if one of them would benefit from a day off, or a few innings off, to manage their health, Vázquez will be standing by.

“He’s obviously a great defender,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. “And while Dansby and Nico are both working their way back, it made some sense to prioritize defense right now”.

Vázquez has also emerged at the plate over the past year. He put together a .271/.361/.456 slash line at Double-A and Triple-A combined last season, and the Cubs added him to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft over the winter.

When he saw the call coming in from Triple-A manager Marty Pevey this week, he said he closed his eyes and said a prayer.

“I'm like, this might be it here,” Vázquez said through team interpreter Fredy Quevedo Jr.

He remembers Pevey saying: “You know what I’m going to tell you, right?”

“I hope it’s the news I’m expecting,” Vázquez said.

Not long after, he was fielding calls from third baseman Christopher Morel and catcher Miguel Amaya. And they put him in touch with a barber before his big day.

“For us, it means a lot to see him here, to bring his talent and support to the team,” Amaya, who overlapped with Vázquez in the minors, told the Sun-Times. “The competitive soul that he has, he’s a champion at all level’s he’s been, so bringing that here, it’s going to be so helpful for us.”

Successful second stint

In his second stint in the majors, Crow-Armstrong showed how he could impact a game on defense, on the bases, and with some timely hits.

“He's going to be a Gold Glove-quality center fielder,” Hoyer said. “I think that he's already going to rank among the top center fielders. … I thought his decision making in general was better. Offensively, at this point, he needs to play every day, be down there, get at bats, but I felt like compared to last year, his ability to battle against major-league pitching was much better.”

Injury updates

Cubs reliever Adbert Alzolay (strained right flexor) is getting a second opinion on his injury, Counsell revealed. Lefty Jordan Wicks (strained left forearm) threw a bullpen Tuesday, and the Cubs plan to send him out on a rehab assignment as his next step.

Out on rehab assignments, lefty Drew Smyly (right hip impingement) threw three shutout innings for High-A South Bend, and right-hander Daniel Palencia (strained right shoulder) was set to pitch for Triple-A Iowa.