Video Shows Chicago Cubs Star Throwing Amid Opening Day Availability Questions

A new video has shown a Chicago Cubs star player throwing with velocity, leading to some hope he'll be ready for Opening Day.

Aug 27, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner (2) takes the field to warm up against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Chicago Cubs have to know who's going to be on their Opening Day roster earlier than every team in Major League Baseball except the Los Angeles Dodgers.

These two face off against each other in Japan on March 18 and 19, meaning their camp gets underway on Feb. 9 as they get set to begin their season against the reigning World Series champions.

Decision dates will be moved up a week for the Cubs, and that does not bode well for the availability regarding their star second baseman Nico Hoerner after he underwent surgery this winter which has his status in doubt.

Any procedure to repair a flexor tendon is a scary one for baseball players, but thankfully, he immediately addressed it after the season to give himself a chance to be ready for Game 1.

And even though his status is unknown as of now, this video that was posted on social media shows him throwing the ball, something that is a huge step in the right direction when it comes to recovery timeline.

We’ve got Nico Hoerner playing catch today at Cubs Camp! pic.twitter.com/VIccpz38U6

— Rich Biesterfeld (@biest22) February 5, 2025

Playing catch and throwing at the level it takes for a Major League game are certainly two different things, but the velocity he's showing on his throws in this video is more than going through the motions.

Hoerner said he "couldn’t throw the ball" prior to getting the surgery done, so hopefully this will help him get back to the Gold Glove-winning defense he displayed in 2023 now that he won't be hindered by this injury.

As far as his status for Opening Day?

That's still up in the air.

Chicago is likely going to remain cautious with the star since they play their two games in Japan to begin the 2025 campaign, but don't play another until March 27, giving him more time to recover.