David Ross Shares Pair of Great Injury Updates on Nico Hoerner and Willson Contreras

The Chicago Cubs are approaching a dangerous place in the NL Central standings as they trail the first-place Milwaukee Brewers by 9.5 games. Despite entering the 2022 season with relatively modest expectations, it's still been a disappointment for Cubs nation.

Injuries and trade rumors have only heightened this precarious start, but there's hope on the horizon. Manager David Ross recently provided a pair of great injury updates around two of his most important players, Nico Hoerner and Willson Contreras.

Nico Hoerner Injury Update

Hoerner hasn't played since May 11 thanks to a freak collision with an umpire that resulted in an ankle injury. Ross said the team will take things slow with their young talent, but he's closing in on a return.

“He probably thought he was at 80-something percent (yesterday) on the bases. He’s progressed really fast, and our training staff has done a really nice job of getting that swelling out of there and getting to where he needs to be. Is he 100 percent yet? I don’t think so. But we’re getting closer to that every single day.”

- David Ross

Willson Contreras Injury Update

Contreras' update is more recent, as the two-time All-Star catcher pulled himself out of Chicago's game on Saturday with a hamstring issue. Ross classified this situation as merely "day-to-day," and he "could return with just a day or two off."

Cubs News

It can't be understated the importance of Contreras' and Hoerner's bats in Chicago's starting nine. Contreras remains arguably the best hitting catcher in MLB, slashing .258/.382/.458 this season with 5 home runs and 7 doubles.

Hoerner was even off to a relatively slow start by his standards, but touts a .271/.293/.396 slash line and continues to play A+ defense at shortstop.

Chicago sits at just 16-24 on the year, though a healthier lineup shows promise to help the team turn things around. The Cubs currently own +4000 odds to win the NL Central on FanDuel Sportsbook.

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