PITTSBURGH – The Chicago Cubs today placed infielder Nico Hoerner on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain and selected outfielder Rafael Ortega from Triple-A Iowa. To make room on the 40-man roster for Ortega, right-handed pitcher Shelby Miller has been activated from the 10-day injured list and designated for assignment.
Ortega will wear uniform number 66 and is in the starting lineup for Chicago’s 6:35 p.m. ET game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.
Ortega, 30, has appeared in 143 major league games with the Rockies (2012), Angels (2016), Marlins (2018) and Braves (2019), hitting .229 (94-for-410) with 14 doubles, a triple, three home runs, 33 RBI and 17 stolen bases. He has appeared in 81 games in left field, 38 in right field and 14 in center field. Ortega owns a .333 average (9-for-27) with two runs, three doubles and five RBI as a pinch-hitter.
The left-handed hitting Ortega signed a minor league contract with Chicago in February of this season and has batted .250 (16-for-64) with three doubles, four home runs, 11 RBI, eight walks and a .333 on-base percentage in 16 games for Iowa.
Originally signed by the Rockies as an international free agent in January of 2008, Ortega has batted .292 (1,225-for-4,199) with 208 doubles, 67 triples, 72 home runs, 486 RBI and 259 stolen bases in 1,121 career minor league games.
Hoerner, 24, has batted .338 (25-for-74) with seven doubles, nine RBI and a .405 on-base percentage in 21 games for Chicago this season.
Miller, 30, was placed on the 10-day injured list with a low back strain on April 23 (retroactive to April 22). In three rehab outings with Triple-A Iowa from May 9-21, Miller posted a 1.74 ERA (2 ER/10.1 IP) with six walks and 15 strikeouts, holding the opponent to a .111 average and .238 on-base percentage. He made three relief appearances for the Cubs (7 ER/2.0 IP) prior to landing on the injured list.
