Cubs' Nico Hoerner: Undergoes flexor tendon surgery
Rotowire
Hoerner underwent surgery Oct. 11 to repair his right flexor tendon, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
It's not clear when Hoerner suffered the injury, nor did the Cubs offer a timetable for his recovery. The second baseman should be ready to roll come Opening Day, although it's possible he'll be eased into things in spring training. Hoerner slashed .273/.335/.373 with seven home runs and 31 stolen bases over 151 games for the Cubs in 2024.
The Cubs selected Knight's contract from Triple-A Iowa on Sunday and optioned him to Iowa.
The move adds Knight to the 40-man roster heading into the offseason. Knight, 28, slashed .182/.250/.323 with four home runs between Double-A Tennessee and Iowa in 2024.
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Cubs' Julian Merryweather: Shifted to 60-day injured list
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The Cubs transferred Merryweather (knee) to the 60-day injured list Sunday.
The transaction clears a spot on the 40-man roster. Merryweather underwent right knee surgery earlier this month to address tendinitis.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Walks four times
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Busch went 0-for-1 with four walks during Sunday's 3-0 loss to the Reds in 10 innings.
Busch didn't generate a hit in the final series of the regular season. going 0-for-7 across the three-game set against Cincinnati. However, he did walk four times in Sunday's regular-season finale. It was just his sixth game with multiple walks this season and the performance set a career high in the category. The 26-year-old finishes 2024 with a .248/.335/.440 slash line, 21 home runs, 65 RBI and 73 runs scored.
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Cubs' Nico Hoerner: Finishes season with stolen base
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Hoerner went 1-for-5 with a stolen base in Sunday's 3-0 loss to the Reds in 10 innings.
Hoerner had a pedestrian stat line but managed to salvage things a bit in the season finale with his 31st stolen base. Over the last two years, the infielder has a total of 74 steals. Heading into 2025, Hoerner's greatest fantasy asset remains his speed, as he only has 29 career home runs across six seasons in the majors.
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Cubs' Caleb Kilian: Pitches well in season finale
Rotowire
Kilian tossed five scoreless innings but did not factor into the decision Sunday against the Reds. He allowed three hits and two walks while striking out four.
Kilian just made his season debut for the Cubs on Monday, allowing six runs (five earned) over 5.2 innings, but he looked much sharper Sunday in the last game of the year. The 27-year-old righty pitched well for Triple-A Iowa earlier this season, compiling a 3.22 ERA across 44.2 innings, and he could compete for a rotation spot with Chicago next spring. Kilian has a career 9.22 ERA at the MLB level, however, so his fantasy upside may be limited.
Amaya is absent from Sunday's lineup against the Reds.
Christian Bethancourt will start behind home plate and bat seventh in the Cubs' regular-season finale. If he doesn't come off the bench Sunday, Amaya will end the 2024 regular season having slashed .232/.288/.357 with eight home runs and 47 RBI across 363 plate appearances.
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Cubs' Cody Bellinger: Absent from lineup
Rotowire
Bellinger is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds.
Bellinger will begin Sunday's regular-season finale on the bench as Kevin Alcantara starts in right field and bats eighth. Unless he comes in to pinch hit, Bellinger will end the 2024 regular season with a .266/.325/.426 slash line, nine stolen bases, 18 home runs and 78 RBI across 569 plate appearances.
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Cubs' Dansby Swanson: Absent for regular-season finale
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Swanson is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds.
Luis Vazquez will start at shortstop and bat ninth in Sunday's regular-season finale. Unless he comes in to pinch hit, Swanson will finish the 2024 regular season with a slash line of .242/.312/.390, 19 stolen bases, 16 home runs and 66 RBI across 593 plate appearances.
Suzuki (ankle) went 2-for-2 with two walks and a run scored in Saturday's 3-0 win over the Reds.
Suzuki missed the last two games due to a sprained ankle he sustained during Tuesday's contest, but he looked fully healthy Saturday. The outfielder has had another productive season, and he's set new career highs with 21 home runs and 16 stolen bases. Suzuki needs one more run and RBI in the last game of the year to match his career bests in those categories as well. His current .850 OPS would also be a new career high.
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Cubs' Tyson Miller: Earns fifth win Saturday
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Miller (5-1) worked around a hit in a scoreless two-thirds of an inning to earn the win Saturday against the Reds.
Chicago starter Kyle Hendricks was stellar through 7.1 innings as he kept Cincinnati off the board, but the Cubs turned to Miller to get through the top of the eighth. The righty delivered and then was set up for the win when the Cubs scored all three of their runs in the bottom of the eighth. Miller has been excellent for Chicago this season with a 2.32 ERA and 0.81 WHIP across 62 innings of relief, and his five wins are the most on the team among current members of the bullpen.
Kilian will start Sunday's game against the Reds, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Kilian allowed six runs (five earned) over 5.2 innings during his season debut Monday, but the Cubs will give him the ball to start their final game of the 2024 season. The 27-year-old righty has been solid in Triple-A to the tune of a 3.22 ERA, but his 11.28 career ERA in the big leagues makes him an unappealing streaming option.
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Cubs' Dansby Swanson: Swipes 19th bag in win
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Swanson went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, a run scored and a stolen base in Saturday's 3-0 win over the Reds.
Swanson swiped a bag in the fifth frame and then doubled and scored the game's first run in the eighth. The shortstop is finishing the season strong, hitting safely in eight of his past 10 contests with three multi-hit efforts, five extra-base hits and two steals. On the season, he's batting .242 with 16 home runs, 66 RBI, 82 runs scored and a career-high 19 stolen bases across 593 plate appearances.
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Cubs' Porter Hodge: Secures ninth save
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Hodge earned the save in Saturday's 3-0 win over the Reds, striking out one over a perfect ninth inning.
Hodge was called upon to close the door for the second straight day and did so on 12 pitches. The 23-year-old has converted six saves while allowing two earned runs over eight September appearances. On the season, he's 9-for-12 in save chances with a 1.88 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 52:19 K:BB across 43 innings.
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Cubs' Kyle Hendricks: Finishes strong in no-decision
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Hendricks did not factor into the decision in Saturday's 3-0 win over the Reds, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out two over 7.1 scoreless innings.
Hendricks needed just 81 pitches to work into the eighth inning, finishing with arguably his best start of the season. Over his final five outings, the veteran logged two quality starts while yielding two earned runs or fewer four times. He'll conclude a disappointing campaign with a 5.92 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 87:43 K:BB across 130.2 innings and will hit free agency this offseason.
