ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Second baseman Nico Hoerner went through what manager Craig Counsell called a ‘‘pretty extensive hitting session’’ before the Cubs opened their series Tuesday against the Rays. He was out of the starting lineup for the fourth consecutive game, but he entered as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning, reflecting well on his response to the hitting session.
Swinging a bat was the baseball activity that aggravated the fracture in Hoerner’s right hand the most in the days after the injury.
‘‘We’re optimistic that as long as no swelling shows up [Wednesday], he could be in the lineup,’’ Counsell said.
Hoerner has had quite the turnaround since his diagnosis, when it wasn’t clear whether he would need a stint on the injured list to address the pain and swelling in his hand.
Tuesday was the first time Hoerner had hit since Thursday, when he was hit on the hand with a pitch in the fourth inning against the Reds but stayed in the game.
‘‘I’m comfortable using him,’’ Counsell said when he was asked whether Hoerner would be available off the bench Tuesday as more than a pinch runner. ‘‘We want to make sure he does good from all the activity, but we’re going in a good direction.’’
Sure enough, when the Cubs had a 2-0 lead going to the bottom of the seventh, Hoerner jogged out to second base, moving David Bote from second to third. He handled his only chance cleanly, but the Rays rallied to win 5-2.
Brown to injured list
The Cubs put right-hander Ben Brown on the 15-day IL with a strained muscle on the left side of his neck.
Counsell said Brown had been battling the injury for a couple of weeks, but there was no specific incident that caused it. The Cubs are sending Brown back to Chicago for further testing and will be able to estimate his timeline when the results come back.
The Cubs backdated the IL move to Sunday, the day after Brown’s last start, in which he allowed three runs in four innings against the Reds. The Cubs also activated reliever Colten Brewer (strained lower back) from the 15-day IL.
Brown has pitched in the rotation and out of the bullpen since making his major-league debut in late March, but he had made four consecutive starts since veteran right-hander Kyle Hendricks was demoted to the bullpen. While dealing with the neck injury in his last two outings, Brown gave up a combined three home runs.
Now the Cubs have to decide who will fill in for Brown. As long as they don’t need left-hander Jordan Wicks out of the bullpen before the open spot in the rotation comes around, he would be the obvious choice. He already is lined up after tossing 3⅓ innings in relief behind Brown on Saturday.
Ground rules
Tropicana Field has plenty of quirks that can come into play. The tentlike roof is relatively low, and high flies sometimes will hit the catwalks that form concentric rings from the center. Depending on which ring the ball hits, it still might be in play. The glare of the lights and off-white color of the ceiling only add to the difficulty for fielders.
Tropicana is also one of two major-league ballparks (also the Oakland Coliseum) that has its bullpens located in foul territory. That came into play Tuesday. The Cubs’ Ian Happ hit a foul ball down the left-field line in the second inning, and the Rays’ Jonny DeLuca tripped over the bullpen mound as he chased after it.
