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Chicago Cubs activate Nico Hoerner from the injured list. How will the middle infield options shake out?

CINCINNATI — Nico Hoerner’s fluky right ankle sprain cost him only two weeks.Hoerner initially feared he could miss more time after colliding with an umpire in shallow right field May 11 in San Diego. He bounced back well, though, and suddenly the Chicago Cubs infield depth is a strength.AdvertisementHoerner came off the injured list before Wednesday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds. In a corresponding move, catcher Yan Gomes went on the IL with a left oblique strain. Willson Contreras was available off the bench and could be back in the lineup for Thursday’s series finale.Gomes’ injury creates an extended chance for backup P.J. Higgins, who started again Wednesday.Advertisement[ [Don’t miss] How the Cubs’ Patrick Wisdom — one year after his call-up — is erasing questions about his long-term fit ]Manager David Ross indicated Gomes’ oblique strain is on the milder side, which is encouraging for an injury that can be tough to come back from.“The news we got back is not as bad as we thought,” Ross said.Hoerner’s return gives Ross a lot of middle infield options, depending on how he wants to mix and match Hoerner with Andrelton Simmons, Christopher Morel and Jonathan Villar. Nick Madrigal (lower back strain) remains on the IL and went through a second day of full baseball activities Wednesday as he continues to progress.Cubs shortstop Andrelton Simmons fields a ball against the Pirates at Wrigley Field on May 16, 2022. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)Hoerner was not in the lineup Wednesday as the Cubs started Simmons at shortstop and Morel at second base. On days Hoerner and Simmons are both in the lineup, expect to see Hoerner at shortstop despite Simmons never playing anywhere else in the field during his 11 seasons in the majors.There’s a reason Ross wants that defensive setup between the two.“There’s a real benefit from a guy that young and upcoming getting as many reps at short for us,” Ross explained. “And the versatility of Simmons — I don’t know that there really is a real position in the infield anymore. I mean, half the time, (third baseman) Patrick Wisdom (is) at shortstop, right? So I think moving those guys around, you’ll see that.”Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.When Simmons joined the Cubs after missing the first 32 games on the IL, he acknowledged his shoulder was not yet 100%. Giving Simmons time at second base could help as he gets stronger with more game reps.[ [Don’t miss] As the Cubs move past the quarter mark of the season, many big-picture questions remain: ‘Got to let guys continue to develop’ ]More importantly, the Cubs can find out whether Hoerner is a long-term answer at short. Advertisement“Nico is a big-league shortstop,” Ross said. “He’s proven he can play big-league shortstop pretty consistently already in this season. Let’s see what happens at the end of the year and assess there. It’s easy to say you can be a shortstop in the big leagues long term, but you also have to do it. You have to prove it.”Hoerner’s defensive performance this season made Simmons feel he didn’t need to rush back before his body was ready. He has been highly complimentary of Hoerner’s play, especially his backhanded jump throws from the hole.Hoerner appreciates the praise from Simmons, a four-time Gold Glove winner.“He’s someone who’s done it at the highest level,” Hoerner said Wednesday. “I mean, some of those stats that have been flashing, defensive runs saved in the last decade and things like that, that’s pretty amazing.“So he’s a guy who not only does it but understands how he does it. He’s always thinking a play ahead and someone I’m excited to share the field with for sure.”

Sports

Lance Lynn is headed toward a rehab assignment this weekend. ‘I’ve got to be ready to go,’ the Chicago White Sox pitcher says.

Lance Lynn pitched to several Chicago White Sox teammates before Tuesday’s game against the Boston Red Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.In one instance, he shattered Eloy Jiménez’s bat.AdvertisementManager Tony La Russa liked what he saw from the right-hander, who is recovering from right knee surgery to repair a torn tendon.“I was overruled by the general manager (Rick Hahn) and the trainer, but I thought he was ready to go five days from now,” La Russa joked.Advertisement[ [Don’t miss] Luis Robert goes on the COVID injured list — and the center fielder might miss the entire White Sox homestand ]Lynn said he is in line to start this weekend — but it will be on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte.“It’s right on pace,” Lynn said Wednesday of the rehab process. “When you look at how everything goes, it’s all about how you can recover. Some days you are going to feel worse than others. It’s how you get through it and how you respond. The more I get on the mound, the better I feel, the more comfortable I feel.“Now it’s on to games this weekend it looks like. That’s the next step of intensity. I’m sure I’ll have some soreness and things of that nature you’ve got to get through. And that’s what the rehab process is all about so you feel comfortable when it’s time to be back here.”Lynn — one of three finalists for the 2021 American League Cy Young Award — anticipates needing three appearances before making his first start for the White Sox. La Russa cautioned it will be “at least three” starts.“We’re trying to be patient,” La Russa said. “It’s hard. But he’s so excited about the progress that he’s made. We’re going to have a lot of people eyeballing him because there’s nothing worse than getting excited, getting him back and then losing him.”Lynn has been out since he hobbled off the mound in an April 2 Cactus League game after throwing a pitch to the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Corbin Carroll. He underwent surgery April 5.Lynn knows the importance of being patient.“The more you push the thing, the more it kind of pulls you back,” he said. “It’s part of the process. My body is telling me how much I can give, the effort I can give and the intensity I can give. As long as you keep moving forward, everything is in a good spot. I’m looking forward to competing, but I have to make sure everything is ready to go before I fully let it go.Advertisement“The process of being injured and getting back is probably the worst process there is, especially for athletes. You miss competing. You miss being part of the team. You miss trying to help your team win. But as long as you get yourself back ready to go and you are 100% when you get back, then you did your job.”[ [Don’t miss] Tim Anderson ready to move on from Josh Donaldson’s attempt to provoke him: ‘I’m not looking for friendship’ ]Lynn is managing the situation by trying to “stay in (his) process.”“Make sure you are there for your teammates, doing everything you can to help them prepare for games or see what you see during a game,” Lynn said. “But make sure you hit all your checkpoints that day. You do it that way and the process keeps going.”Tuesday’s live batting practice was another step in the right direction.“The ball was coming out good, had good command,” La Russa said. “Exciting to think about (him) being back with us. But patience is going to be important.”Lynn said: “The first two times (against) the hitters went according to plan, and now it’s on to games and that’s going to be a totally different type of intensity. Each day you have to reassess, but there’s been nothing to hold anything back.”AdvertisementLynn went 11-6 with a 2.69 ERA and 176 strikeouts in 28 starts last season, his first with the White Sox, and placed third in Cy Young voting.He knows a player returning from an injury can provide a boost.“Yeah, if you do well,” he said with a smile. “If you suck when you get back, nobody cares. So I’ve got to be ready to go.”

Sports

Colin Kaepernick scheduled to work out for Las Vegas Raiders: report

Colin Kaepernick went from being blackballed to working out for the silver and black.Kaepernick, 34, a Black quarterback exiled from the NFL for his stance against police brutality and racial injustice, worked out for the Las Vegas Raiders on Wednesday.AdvertisementThe workout was first reported by ESPN. NFL Network reported it was happening Wednesday.Raiders owner Mark Davis recently reiterated support for giving Kaepernick a look in an interview with NBC Sports Bay Area. That’s exactly what is happening under first-year GM Dave Ziegler and coach Josh McDaniels.Advertisement“I believe in Colin Kaepernick,” Davis said during an episode of “Race in America: A Candid Conversation.” “He deserves every chance in the world to become a quarterback in the National Football League. I still stand by it. If our coaches and general manager want to bring him in or want him to be the quarterback on this team, I would welcome him with open arms.”Colin Kaepernick showcased his arm during halftime of Michigan’s intrasquad scrimmage in April. (Carlos Osorio/AP)Davis said something similar in the summer of 2020. His late father, Al Davis, was a trailblazer who hired the NFL’s first Black head coach, Art Shell, and its first female chief executive, Amy Trask, in the modern era.“Since 2017 I’ve told the coaches and general managers that if they want to hire Colin Kaepernick, they have my blessing,” Davis said, per ESPN.In 2016, Kaepernick began protesting racial injustice and police brutality by kneeling on the sideline during the playing of the national anthem. He hasn’t played for an NFL team since, while scores of less talented backup QBs have been cycled through rosters.He opted out of his Niners contract in the spring of 2017 when the 49ers told him he would be cut because he didn’t fit the system under new coach Kyle Shanahan.Kaepernick and safety Eric Reid sued the NFL and its owners alleging collusion to keep them out of the league. The league settled with both players in 2019. Kaepernick and safety Eric Reid reportedly split less than $10 million in the deal.Reid played for the Carolina Panthers in 2018 and 2019. Kaepernick remained a free agent.Almost nine months after Kaepernick and Reid settled with the league, it hosted an impromptu workout session for Kaepernick and invited all 32 teams to watch. But the workout was overall viewed as a joke by many. It was scheduled on a Saturday in November in the middle of the 2019-20 season in Atlanta, and Kaepernick was given just two hours to decide whether to go through with the workout, among several other oddities of the situation. Only eight teams sent scouts to that workout.AdvertisementIn 2020, commissioner Roger Goodell admitted the NFL was “wrong” for not listening to player protests earlier. Goodell then said “I welcome” and “support a club” signing Kaepernick “if he wants to resume his career in the NFL.”The Seattle Seahawks hosted Kaepernick on a visit in 2017, but didn’t sign him. He hasn’t had a single workout with a team until this week’s planned session with the Raiders.Kaepernick worked out during halftime of this year’s Michigan spring game, a platform provided by Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh, his former 49ers head coach. Kaepernick led Harbaugh’s San Francisco 49ers to Super Bowl XLVII in the 2012 season.Kaepernick has a pre-existing relationship with Raiders offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi, who was on the 49ers’ staff from 2013-16 while Kaepernick was their QB.Jarrett Stidham and Nick Mullens are the Raiders’ only backups of note behind starter Derek Carr at the moment. So there is a clear path to Kaepernick securing a backup job with a strong workout.Davis and the Raiders have been in the news a lot lately. On Wednesday, a judge denied two NFL motions: 1) to dismiss a lawsuit brought by fired Raiders coach Jon Gruden; and 2) to push it into arbitration. So the discovery process in that case should get interesting.AdvertisementFormer Raiders president Dan Ventrelle also alleged that Davis fired him recently in retaliation for raising concerns about a hostile work environment in the organization to the NFL’s attention.Kaepernick said recently on the “I AM ATHLETE” podcast that he realizes he’ll have to accept a backup role to break back into the league, but that he’ll compete to get his old job back.“I know I have to find my way back in,” he said. “So if I have to come in as a backup, that’s fine. But that’s not where I’m staying. And when I prove that I’m a starter, I want to be able to step on the field as such.“I just need that opportunity to walk through the door.”