SAN DIEGO — The Cubs’ shortstop position has been so devastated by injuries in recent days that top prospect Nico Hoerner — last year’s first-round draft pick — will make the jump from Class AA and join the team in San Diego for Monday night’s game.
The move comes one day after Addison Russell was hit in the head by a pitch and put under evaluation for a concussion. That came one day after the National League’s All-Star starter, Javy Baez, was diagnosed with a fractured thumb that might sideline him the rest of the season.
Even the Cubs’ Class AAA shortstop, Dixon Machado — who has big-league experience — finished the minor-league season on the injured list because of a quad injury.
The Cubs cling to a 1½-game wild-card lead over the Diamondbacks entering the final 20 games of the season, fighting to qualify for the postseason for a fifth consecutive year.
Second baseman David Bote was the top remaining big-league backup among a handful of bad choices as the Cubs left Milwaukee Sunday night on the heels of three consecutive losses.
Hoerner, 22, was the 24th overall pick in last year’s draft out of Stanford.
He hit .292 in 75 minor-league games this year, including .284 with a .344 on-base percentage and three homers in 70 games for AA Tennessee.
Hoerner missed most of the first two months of the season because of a wrist injury.
Before that, he was brief sensation in spring training, going 8-for-17 with six extra-base hits and a walk in 14 appearances as an extra player from the minor-league side of camp.
He ranks 48th on MLB Pipeline’s most recent top 100.
Russell remained “under evaluation for a possible concussion” as he traveled with the team to San Diego on Sunday night, his status for that four-game series pending daily exams.
“It’s, as they say, suboptimal,” manager Joe Maddon said Sunday.
Under Major League Baseball’s policy, there is no specific timeline for Russell’s “evaluation,” making his status as unclear as the Cubs’ playoff prospects.
Baez was to see a hand specialist in Chicago on Monday to determine a timeline for his injury, which he suffered eight days ago on a slide.
In addition to being down both shortstops on the roster, their closer (Craig Kimbrel) is out with an elbow issue until at least the end of the week, and their two most playoff-tested veterans in the rotation (Lester and Cole Hamels) are coming off especially poor outings in Milwaukee.
“Honestly, there’s only one way to deal with moments like this, and that is in the moment,” Maddon said. “Anxiety lives in the future. Things could change just as quickly.
“I know these kids pretty well, and I don’t see any panic in the eye. It’s just a matter that — obviously, we’ve got to pitch well — but we still have to be more offensive, stay in the [strike] zone.”
