Notes from Chicago Cubs camp: Nico Hoerner hopes to play in Japan, while Dansby Swanson wants to play every day

MESA, Ariz. — While noting last week that the season-opening two-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on March 18-19 in Japan is important, Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell stressed that it’s only two games.

That suggests he won’t try to rush players back from any nagging injuries just to play in the series.

Second baseman Nico Hoerner hopes to play in Tokyo, but his rehab from right flexor tendon surgery could be problematic.

“I don’t want to miss anything,” Hoerner said. “Japan is kind of a once-in-a-lifetime thing, to play last year’s world champions and be able to celebrate with the Japanese players on our team and in front of some of the fans that love baseball as much as any in the world.

“We’ve seen some incredible players from Japan in recent years and I’ve never been to Asia. I’d like to go on that trip. I hope so, but we’ll see.”

The Cubs resume the regular season March 27 in Phoenix against the Arizona Diamondbacks and have five days of spring training games after the Japan trip to prepare for that.

No laughing matter: Shortstop Dansby Swanson’s offseason hernia surgery was unexpected after he played through it last season.

“He had a great second half, he played great defense, he was really good offensively,” Cubs President Jed Hoyer said in December. “Yeah, it was unexpected.”

Swanson revealed last week the pain was worse than he let on.

“I had trouble sneezing, laughing and all those kinds of things toward the end of the year,” he said. “It was another test and another challenge in a different kind of way. I’m just excited to be healthy again and looking forward to being on the field again this season.”

Swanson played in 160 and 162 games in back-to-back seasons in 2021-22 for the Atlanta Braves and in 149 games last season in spite of the hernia. Has he considered taking more days off than usual to help preserve himself for the long term?

“Not one ounce,” he said. “I just try to figure out a better way to play 162 games. There’s importance to it mentally and obviously to baseball itself. Baseball is meant to be played every day. I was raised in the game that way, and that will never change.”

Old cliches never die: “I feel like we have a really good shot to go out and play baseball and take it one day at a time and pile up a bunch of wins and be playing in October.” — Cubs left fielder Ian Happ.

Numbers crunch: Counsell will wear No. 11 this year after being No. 30 in his first season in Chicago.

“Kyle (Tucker) has been No. 30 and I thought that was a good choice to give him No. 30,” he said matter-of-factly.

Counsell took No. 11 because it was worn by his former manager with the Florida Marlins, Hall of Famer Jim Leyland.

Future shock: The automated ball-strike system (ABS) will be used Thursday in the Cubs’ Cactus League opener against the Dodgers in Glendale. Umpires will make the calls, but managers can challenge two calls per game. A successful challenge means the team retains that challenge.

Cody Poteet will start the opener, Counsell told reporters Monday.

Sammy talk: The Cubs haven’t announced that Sammy Sosa will be in camp, but the team is preparing for his return for the first time since his final season as a Cub in 2004.

Sosa returned from a long exile to attend the Cubs Convention last month and said he hoped to be invited to spring training. Ryne Sandberg and Rick Sutcliffe have been in camp as guest instructors.