SAN DIEGO _ Nico Hoerner didn't have the buildup that accompanied fellow first-round picks Javier Baez and Kris Bryant on their paths to the majors.
But Hoerner made an instant impact Monday night despite not possessing the same minor league seasoning as Baez and Bryant _ neither of whom was in the Chicago Cubs lineup because of injuries.
Hoerner, who was promoted to play shortstop because of several injuries despite not playing above the Double-A level, went 3-for-4 with a two-run triple and four RBIs in his major-league debut to lead the Cubs to a 10-2 win over the San Diego Padres.
Hoerner became the first Cubs player with at least three hits and at least four RBIs in his big-league debut since Dee Fondy on April 17, 1951, according to Christopher Kamka of NBC Sports Chicago.
The Stanford alumnus, 22, was the Cubs' first pick in the 2018 draft and the first member of that draft class to reach the majors. But he was promoted to play shortstop only because Baez suffered a hairline fracture in his left thumb that makes his return for the rest of the regular season doubtful, Addison Russell suffered concussion-like symptoms after getting beaned Sunday, and Triple-A Iowa shortstop Dixon Machado injured his hamstring last week.
Hoerner didn't disappoint at the plate or in the field, as many Cubs fans (including several family members who made the one-hour flight from his hometown of Oakland, Calif.) chanted "Nico! Nico!" after each dazzling play. He hit an 0-2 breaking pitch from former Stanford teammate Cal Quantrill into shallow right field for a single in his first major league at-bat.
In the fourth, Hoerner reached on a fielder's choice, scored on a wild pitch and received several high-fives from his teammates after returning to the dugout.
He highlighted a five-run fifth by pulling a triple down the left-field line to score Nicholas Castellanos and Victor Caratini. With two out in the sixth, Hoerner smacked a two-run single up the middle off left-hander Robbie Erlin.
Entering Monday's game, Hoerner had 337 minor league at-bats, batting .297 with 19 doubles, five triples, five home runs, 28 RBI and a .793 OPS in 89 games.
In the bottom of the second, he made a backhanded stop and a strong throw from the outfield grass to retire Wil Myers.
In the third, Hoerner ranged to his left to field and spun before making a one-hop throw from the outfield grass that first baseman Anthony Rizzo picked to retire Greg Garcia for the final out.
Castellanos hit a two-run home run in the first, and Kyle Schwarber hit his 35th homer, an opposite-field shot to left to start the fifth, as the Cubs (77-66) snapped a three-game losing streak and cut their deficit in the National League Central to four games behind the St. Louis Cardinals with 19 games remaining.
Kyle Hendricks temporarily cured his road woes by allowing only one earned run in 5 2/3 innings. Hendricks entered Monday's game with a 5.20 ERA in 14 road starts.
