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LOS ANGELES — Feel-good soccer comedy “Ted Lasso” scored at Sunday’s Emmy Awards, with castmates Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham and Brett Goldstein all earning honors.

Jason Sudeikis, who plays the title character in the Apple TV+ show about a happy-go-lucky American football coach hired to head a British soccer team, won the Emmy Award for best actor in a comedy series on Sunday night.

“This show is about family, this show is about mentors and teachers, this show is about teammates,” Sudeikis said before offering a litany of thanks to his own family members and castmates.

He expressed gratitude to three Chicago theaters where he performed early in his career — Second City, iO and the Annoyance — singling out one local teacher and director, Mick Napier.

It was the first career acting Emmy for Sudeikis, also a producer of “Ted Lasso.” The former “Saturday Night Live” actor also tried to thank that show’s mastermind Lorne Michaels, but found he was missing from his seat.

“I want to thank Lorne, who went to go take a dump, now, perfect.” Sudeikis joked.

An ebullient Waddingham, winner of the best supporting actress award for a comedy, said Sudeikis “changed my life with this, and more importantly my baby girl’s.”

Goldstein, who won the counterpart award for supporting actor, said he had promised not to swear and either mimed or was muted for a few seconds, then called the show the “privilege and pleasure” of his life.

Jean Smart of the generation-gap story “Hacks” won the comedy series actress trophy and began her acceptance speech on a somber note: Her husband actor, Richard Gilliland, died six months ago.

“I would not be here without him” and his willingness to put her career first, said Smart. She also praised their two children as “courageous individuals in their own right.”

Gillian Anderson and Tobias Menzies of British royal drama “The Crown” were honored for their supporting performances.

Anderson, who played British political leader Margaret Thatcher, used her acceptance speech to thank her manager of 20 years for her mentorship and believing in her talent before she did.

Menzies who plays Prince Philip, didn’t attend the ceremony, which included a London gathering for “The Crown” nominees.

Before announcing the winner in his category, presenter Kerry Washington saluted another nominee, Michael K. Williams of “Lovecraft County.” Williams died Sept. 6 at age 54.

“Michael was a brilliantly talented actor and a generous human being who has left us far too soon,” Washington said.

Julianne Nicholson and Evan Peters claimed best supporting acting honors for the limited series “Mare of Easttown,” about crime and family dysfunction.

“The script was “true to the horror and beauty of ordinary people’s lives,” particularly the lives of women, said Nicholson.

Both she and Peters saluted star Kate Winslet.

“Man, you’re good at acting. But turns out you’re good at caring for a whole production,” Nicholson said.

The show opened with a musical number that featured host Cedric the Entertainer rapping a modified version of the Biz Markie hip-hop hit “Just a Friend” with lyrics like “TV, you got what I need.” LL Cool J bounded from the audience as stars like Rita Wilson, Mandy Moore and more dropped verses celebrating the breadth of television.

Seth Rogen presented the first award, throwing some cold water on the celebratory vibe by noting that the Emmys were being held in a giant tent. “There’s way too many of us in this little room,” he exclaimed in what seemed to be an attempt to be funny that fell flat.

“Why is there a roof? It’s more important that we have three chandeliers than make sure we don’t kill Eugene Levy tonight. That is what has been decided.”

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At least eight people were killed and 43 others — including a 3-year-old — wounded in citywide shootings since Friday evening.

Five men were killed over the span of about four hours early Saturday morning.

Two of the five were killed in a drive-by shooting in Lawndale on the West Side. Two men, 29 and 34, were struck by someone in a passing red vehicle about 12:15 a.m. in the 1900 block of South Saint Louis Avenue, Chicago police said. The 29-year-old was struck in the eye and hand and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he died, police said. His name hasn’t been released yet. The 34-year-old was struck once in his head and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. He was identified by the Cook County medical examiner’s office as Charles Jackson Jr.
Less than an hour later, officers found Marwin Sanders-Price, 31, on the ground unresponsive with gunshot wounds to his torso and buttocks about 12:50 a.m. in the 200 block of East 121st Place, police and the medical examiner’s office said. He was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he later died, police said.
A man was fatally shot during an argument in East Garfield Park on the West Side. The 21-year-old was arguing with a woman about 2:40 a.m. when a man approached and opened fire in the 3100 block of West Arthington Street, striking him in the chest, arm and hip, police said. He was taken to Mt. Sinai, where he later died, police said. His name hasn’t been released yet.
A man was fatally shot in a drive-by on the Near North Side. The 33-year-old was standing next to his vehicle about 3:50 a.m. in the 800 block of North Orleans Street when someone inside a blue SUV opened fire, police said. He was struck once in the chest, and was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he died, police said. He was identified as Royal Shorts by the medical examiner’s office.
A tow truck driver attempting to provide service Sunday morning was fatally shot in Englewood on the South Side, police said. The 27-year-old, who hasn’t been identified yet, was attempting to provide service about 3:50 a.m. in the first block of West 57th Street when someone approached and opened fire, police said. He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he died, police said.

In nonfatal attacks, a 3-year-old boy was shot in the back Saturday morning inside a home in Calumet Heights on the Far South Side, police said. The shooting happened about 10:45 a.m. in the 9300 block of South Escanaba Avenue, according to Chicago police. The circumstances weren’t immediately known. The boy was taken to Trinity Hospital and later transferred to Comer’s Children Hospital in good condition, police said. More than 250 minors have been shot in Chicago so far this year.

Five people were shot and seriously wounded Sunday morning in South Austin on the Northwest Side, authorities said. Three men and two women were sitting on a porch about 3:05 a.m. in the 900 block of North Massasoit Avenue when a white SUV stopped and two males opened fire, Chicago police said. A 20-year-old man was struck twice in his leg and once in his arm and was taken to the Loyola University Medical Center, where he was in serious condition, police said. A man, 18, was struck in his back and a woman, 41, was shot in her leg, police said. Both were taken to Stroger Hospital, where they were in serious condition, police said. A 42-year-old man and 47-year-old woman were both shot in the left thigh, and also taken to Stroger, where they were listed in serious condition, police said.
A 15-year-old girl was one of two people shot Saturday night in West Englewood on the South Side. The teen and a 20-year-old woman were standing outside with a group of people about 11:20 p.m. in the 5900 block of South Paulina Street when someone opened fire in the distance, police said. The girl was shot once in the buttocks and was taken to Comer, where she was listed in good condition, police said. The woman was shot in the thigh and was taken to the University of Chicago, where she was also in good condition, police said.
Two men were shot and wounded in Belmont Cragin on the Northwest Side. Two 20-year-olds were outside on a porch about 12:35 a.m. in the 2600 block of North Melvina Avenue when they were shot at, police said. One of the men was grazed in the buttocks, while the other was shot twice in his leg, police said. Both were taken to the Loyola in good condition, police said.

At least 33 others were wounded in citywide shootings since 5 p.m. Friday.

At least 64 people were shot in Chicago last weekend, including a 12-year-old boy killed by his mother, and an off-duty firefighter and his 15-year-old niece wounded in a mass shooting.

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Patrick Finley and Jason Lieser break down Justin Fields’ first extended playing time and the Bears’ newfound pass rush in their home-opening win against the Bengals.

New episodes of “Halas Intrigue” will be published regularly with accompanying stories collected on the podcast’s hub page. You can also listen to “Halas Intrigue” wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Luminary, Spotify, and Stitcher.

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It’s back to the past in more ways than one when playwright Brian Pastor’s “Thirteen Days” debuts Sunday night as the season opener at City Lit Theatre.

The world-premiere drama is an adaptation of Robert Kennedy’s memoir about the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. It also was the play that was in its final preview and about to open in March 2020 when the pandemic shut down the world.

Now, it’s about to make its “return,” opening Sunday with much of the same cast and creative team returning.

“I can’t tell you the relief and excitement I felt when I walked in to the rehearsal room,” Pastor says. “The chemistry and camaraderie and energy instantly came back. It’s excitement mixed with trepidation, but more than anything it’s relief that we can gather once again and tell stories and share them with a live audience.”

Pastor puts his history degree from Northwestern University to good use in “Thirteen Days,” adapted from Kennedy’s account of the time — Oct. 16-28, 1962 — it took to unwind the confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cuban Missile Crisis, which would go down in history as one of the most dangerous moments of the Cold War.

Pastor’s previous adaptations at City Lit Theatre have come from literature — Mark Twain’s “Pudd’nhead Wilson” and Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Tackling a historical narrative was a new challenge.

“With this play, there were a lot more tentacles reaching out in different directions, and you’re trying to just pull everything together to create a streamlined script,” says Pastor, who also directs. “It was an enticing challenge even though it was a steep hill to climb.”

Adding to that and in an all-encompassing nod to gender-blind casting, women will play all of the roles in the City Lit production. The 11-member cast includes Cameron Feagin as President John F. Kennedy, Kat Evans (Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy), Sheila Willis (Defense Secretary Robert McNamara), Julia Kessler (Secretary of State Dean Rusk), Anne Wrider (Adlai Stevenson, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations) and Kim Fukawa (Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin).

Pastor and City Lit artistic director Terry McCabe obtained permission from RFK’s estate to adapt the memoir and add dialogue gathered from declassified transcripts of the strategy meetings attended by President Kennedy and his cabinet and staff.

What developed over those 13 days was a direct and dangerous confrontation that came close to a nuclear conflict. Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, worried about another invasion attempt after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, reached a secret agreement with then-Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev to place nuclear missiles in Cuba.

“Thirteen Days” looks at the tensions and challenges faced by these world leaders and the tangled political web they had to untangle.

Pastor was intrigued by RFK’s observations in the book, especially one in which he describes — as the song in the musical “Hamilton” says — “the room where it happened.”

“Kennedy writes about how this was a room full of experienced, intelligent, thoughtful men and yet everyday opinions changed sometimes drastically based on new information that was coming in,” Pastor says, “based on the fears of casualties, based on the desire to not make it look like a superpower was backing down from another superpower. That constant confusion back and forth challenged even these very measured experienced men in the room.”

About the all-female cast, Pastor says: “There’s nothing about the situation that required it to be a room full of white men. It’s just that historically those types of rooms were reserved strictly for that privilege. We felt one of the best ways of connecting to a modern audience and modern storytelling was to tell it with a diverse group of women.”

Feagin says being on stage for that last preview, performing a play about a crisis in which society was panicked at the same time a pandemic was threatening society, was “just very, very odd. But now, returning to the play, it feels more grounded. And I can only think it’s because we’ve all been through so much, and what’s important in life got reevaluated.”

It’s an intriguing challenge for the cast members who weren’t born then or are too young to remember the Cuban Missile Crisis. Pastor was impressed with the time, energy and enthusiasm they put into their own research.

“There’s a vast amount of knowledge that has been brought to the rehearsal room to create lively discussions and an enriched sense of collaboration,” he says. “I’m sure after performances we’re going to have some great talkbacks because of this research.”

Mary Houlihan is a freelance writer.

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With his fourth-inning walk Sunday, Yoan Moncada extended his on-base streak to 28 games. Headed into Sunday, he was tied with the Royals’ Nicky Lopez for the longest active streak in baseball. During that stretch, Moncada is hitting .327 with two home runs and eight doubles.

Moncada has been a steady presence in manager Tony La Russa’s lineups all season. He hit second Sunday, but La Russa enjoys feeling like he can slot Moncada in just about any spot in the order.

“I think he’s the whole package as a hitter and can hit — you want to hit him third, hit second, fourth, fifth — he can hit anywhere,” La Russa said.

Though Moncada’s power numbers are down this season, he is showing signs of maturation as a hitter. His walks are up and strikeouts are down, and notably, Moncada has continued to be consistent from both sides of the plate.

“He’s an equally dangerous or talented hitter from both sides, which is a good thing for a switch hitter,” La Russa said. “You can’t turn him around and get an advantage.”

This year, Moncada is batting .272 from the left side and .252 from the right. He has always hit well from either side, and that has helped Moncada spray the ball to all fields.

“He has the things you look for,” La Russa said. “He’s got a good eye, and if you watch his hit chart, he hits the ball all over the field, and he hits all the pitches.”

Gotta keep an edge

The White Sox have been at the top of the A.L. Central since May 7, and as they get closer to officially clinching their playoff spot, the challenge for La Russa’s team has been consistency.

For example, in the Friday opener of this weekend’s series against the Rangers, the offense put up eight runs, but then they turned around and managed just one on three hits Saturday.

“I think the thing that we’re fighting is to not lose the urgency of the competition,” La Russa said. “Because that’s how you keep your edge in the last couple weeks of the season.”

One of La Russa’s favorite mantras for the kind of situation the Sox are in is to play each game like it’s the last game, or like it is the seventh game of the World Series.

The Sox have been in the enviable spot of leading their division for almost the entire season, and that has allowed them to do things like rest players as needed and think ahead to rearranging the rotation for the best postseason alignment.

But still La Russa is mindful that those advantages have their downsides — like potential complacency — as well.

“It’s one of the luxuries of being in this position, but we don’t want to turn it into a liability,” La Russa said.

Routine off days for Jimenez, Robert

Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert were out of Sunday’s lineup, but neither because of injury. La Russa said he sat Robert to “get him off his feet,” and Jimenez because La Russa thought he needed a mental rest as Jimenez is battling through a mini-slump.

“Sometimes you just need a break,” La Russa said. “That’s what today is, it’s a break […] the best thing is he’s healthy, he’s very talented. If he’s our problem, we’ve got no problems.”

SOX AT TIGERS

Monday : Carlos Rodon (12-5, 2.38) vs. Matt Manning (4-6, 5.75), 5:40 p.m., NBCSCH, 1000-AM

Tuesday: Dallas Keuchel (8-9, 5.23) vs. Tyler Alexander (2-3, 4.13), 5:40 p.m., NBCSCH, 1000-AM

Wednesday: Reynaldo Lopez (3-3, 3.00) vs. Casey Mize (7-8, 3.64), 12:10 p.m., 5:40 p.m., NBCSCH, 1000-AM

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Once it became clear to the Bears that rookie quarterback Justin Fields was ahead of schedule, they set about finding the perfect time to play him, even for a few snaps. It was probably a foolish endeavor, though — nothing ever goes according to plan in the NFL.

Sunday, fate forced Bears coach Matt Nagy’s hands when starter Andy Dalton hurt his left knee scrambling out of bounds in the second quarter. In front of 60,840 fans at Soldier Field, the situation wound up being better than the Bears could have drawn up.

Fields finished the game with a passer rating of 27.7 — almost 12 points lower than had the rookie simply spiked 50 passes into the turf — and threw an interception at precisely the wrong time. While Dalton marched the Bears to a touchdown to start the game, Fields produced two only field goals. The quarterback himself was flagged for two false starts. And the Bears still won 20-17.

Credit a Bears defense that, amazingly, forced turnovers on four consecutive possessions in the second half. And a Bengals team that’s finished dead last in their division three years in a row. And running back David Montgomery, who carried the ball 15 times in the two-and-a-half quarters with Fields at quarterback.

“I didn’t play well, in my eyes,” Fields said. “Of course I played well enough to get the win … but I think there’s a lot of room for me to improve.”

That’s the point. Every mistake Fields makes — like the third-and-7 interception to Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson, up 10, with less than four minutes to play — lets the future franchise quarterback to learn on the job. For the Bears to win while Fields made rookie mistakes is all the better — even though Nagy had preferred not to take the tack when he named Dalton the starter.

Now, he might not have a choice. Dalton’s injury doesn’t figure to be season-ending. Asked if Dalton tore the anterior cruciate ligament when he stepped awkwardly out of bounds about a minute into the second quarter, Nagy said he was “pretty sure we can rule that out.” If Dalton has to miss time, though, Fields will start. And how can the Bears possibly remove Fields from the starting job once he does?

Asked if a healthy Dalton was his starter, Nagy wouldn’t engage — “I’m not going to get into that,” he said — although he later stressed that Fields was further along than the Bears thought he’d be.

“If that’s the case [that Dalton misses a start because of injury], we feel good about it,” he said. “He’s worked really, really hard to get to this point.”

Nagy customized his playbook to fit Fields, choosing less complex plays — whether it was formations, motion and shifts — to allow Fields to play free after a week in which he was the scout team quarterback.

“You want him to be able to play fast,” Nagy said. “We had to adjust a little bit because of the situation of coming in like he did. That’s all part of it.”

Dalton marched the Bears to a touchdown on the first drive of the game, completing an 11-yard pass to Allen Robinson and earning goodwill from Soldier Field fans that might have booed him for every three-and-out.

He had completed 9-of-10 passes at the time of his injury. The pain was so immediate that Dalton pointed to Fields the second he was hurt, as if to tell him to go into the game. Dalton went into the medical tent, came out and played the next drive, which lasted four plays. Then he ran to the locker room. He returned from halftime in full uniform — but that was simply because he would have had to serve as the Bears’ fill-in had anything happened to Fields. Dalton was not made available after the game; Nagy said his knee got more sore as he watched the game in the second half.

The Bears weren’t nearly as efficient after Dalton left. The Fields-led offense ran 38 plays after Dalton exited the game and netted 73 yards — an average of less than two yards per play.

Fields went 6-for-13 for 60 yards — only four yards less than Dalton — but wasn’t helped by Robinson dropping what would have been a 35-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. Fields was a slightly more productive runner, gaining 31 yards on 10 carries. He saved his longest run for last, though. After the Bengals scored two touchdowns one minute apart in the fourth quarter — thanks to Fields’ interception — the Bears faced third-and-9 up three with about three minutes to play. Fields scrambled for 10 yards. The Bears never gave the ball back.

That experience — the good and the bad — matters, Fields said. So will breaking down footage of Sunday’s game.

“You know those situations might pop up in-game again, and you just know where to go with the ball and what to do with protection,” Fields said. “Pretty much, whatever you need to do to make that play successful. And say whatever you messed up on in this game, too.”

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Takeaways from the Bears’ 20-17 home opener win against the Bengals on Sunday:

Taunting?

The NFL’s offseason decision to crack down on taunting was apparent by the end of the first quarter Sunday. After Bengals rookie Ja’Marr Chase dropped a pass on third down, Bears safety Tashaun Gipson clapped in his face — and was flagged 15 yards. Rather than punt, the Bengals had a first down.

Less than four minutes later, Bengals safety Vonn Bell was flagged for taunting quarterback Andy Dalton after an incompletion.

“I just clapped, man. … ” Gipson said. “I don’t want to be out there if I can’t be happy for my guys when they make big plays. That’s what this game is about. It’s just adrenaline. It was costly. And that was something I just can’t do: put our team in that third down and it’s hard to get off the field.”

Montgomery moves

David Montgomery wasn’t as explosive as he was in Week 1, carrying 20 times for 61 yards. The Bears leaned on him, though, with a rookie quarterback under center.

“Just his mentality, I love it … ” Justin Fields said. “Playing with him, he gives the offense great confidence. And he’s awesome, for sure.”

Santos kicks

Cairo Santos made two chip-shot field goals — a 28-yarder and 22-yarder, both in the fourth quarter — to continue a franchise-best hot streak. Santos has made 28-straight regular-season field goals dating to Week 3 of last year, when he missed a 46-yarder wide left in Atlanta.

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With a 7-2 win over the Rangers Sunday, the White Sox shrunk their magic number to clinch a postseason berth to four.

They know that reaching the playoffs is all but an inevitability at this point, but Sox players also know that clinching the division is just step one in reaching their ultimate goal of a World Series ring.

“Clinching is just really getting in,” Tim Anderson said. “That’s when it really starts. But we just take it a day at a time, continue to try to get wins. We know we’re going to clinch, we understand that. Not too far away from it. But we’ve got to continue to stay hungry heading toward October and I think that’s when the real ball starts.”

Last season, the Sox clinched their playoff spot early, but then they went on a lengthy skid that cost them the division. That forced the Sox to play the Athletics on the road in the American League Wild Card Series.

“Last year we kind of made the mistake of letting off the gas a little bit towards the end, especially after we clinched, and so I think that we learned from that mistake,” Lucas Giolito said.

Giolito said Sunday’s win was a good example of how the Sox are going to be different down the home stretch of the regular season this time around.

“Having that energy every single game. Everybody in the game, watching, paying attention, picking things out,” Giolito said of the team’s vibe in the rubber match against the Rangers. “That’s right where we need to be. Today was a really nice turning point for that.”

The difference this year could also come down to how well they can execute the smaller details of their game. On Sunday, that looked like Leury Garcia pulling off a two-strike bunt single and then advancing to second base in the fourth inning, thus putting him in position to score on Cesar Hernandez’s single.

Those runs were part of a five-run inning for the Sox.

“That’s Leury. This guy plays all over, but he’s really a smart baseball player and that first time he went out and hit the bullet, that was a hit and run,” La Russa said. “He hit that ball and it found a hole and it’s first and third. So many things you can do with him.”

There was also Yoan Moncada’s defense at third. He snuffed out a potential Rangers rally in the sixth inning when he ranged to the foul line and threw out Nathaniel Lowe at first base. With Andy Ibanez on base already, Moncada’s play was the difference between one out and two runners on and two outs with one runner.

“The more little things you do, the bigger things are that happen,” La Russa said.

The offense scored seven runs against the Rangers, getting five in the fourth inning against starter Jordan Lyles and then tacking on two insurance runs on Leury Garcia’s two-run double in the seventh.

Giolito described Sunday’s outing as a “grinder battle.” He said he did not have good feel for his fastball, but he was able to work with his secondary stuff to get to 97 pitches and 5-plus innings while limiting the Rangers to one run. Sunday was Giolito’s longest outing since throwing 101 pitches against the Yankees on August 15.

Life on the road has not been kind to the White Sox since the All-Star break. Even with the weekend series win against the Rangers, they are just 2-6-1 in road series since mid-July.

They have two more road stops coming up before heading to Chicago to finish the regular season. The first is in Detroit, but then they’ll face the Indians for five games, including a Thursday doubleheader.

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Riot Fest presented its last music of the 2021 festival on a warm day in Douglass Park.

Slipknot, Machine Gun Kelly, the Flaming Lips and Devo were the scheduled headliners on a day that also was to include sets by Simple Plan, Anthrax, New Found Glory and many other acts.

It was a comeback for the event that was canceled in 2020 during the think of COVID-19 restrictions. This year there are plenty of COVID-19 safety protocols in place including hand sanitizing and handwashing stations throughout the park, and an onsite COVID vaccination station (courtesy of St. Anthony Hospital; Pfizer and J&J vaccines only).

In addition, all attendees had to show proof of a full vax or negative COVID test results (the latter within 48 hours of entry date) accompanied by a valid, government-issued photo ID to gain entry each day.

A carnival provided a break from the music.

Here are some of the sights and sounds at Day 2 of Riot Fest:

Festival-goers watch Health perform at the Riot Stage on day 4 of Riot Fest at Douglass Park.Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Melkbelly performs at the Rebel Stage on day 4 of Riot Fest at Douglass Park.Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Festivalgoers crowd under shade from trees during 90-degree temperatures on day 4 of Riot Fest at Douglass Park.Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

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MILWAUKEE — Nico Hoerner was expected to be a big part of the Cubs’ plans this season, but the second-year infielder hasn’t been able to make the impact the team had expected due to injuries.

Hoerner has had three lengthy stints on the injured list this year suffering a left forearm strain in a collision, left hamstring strain while running the bases and a right oblique strain while swinging the bat. In total, he’s been forced to miss 90 games this season due to injury.

He started for the first time since July 29 in Sunday’s 6-4 win over the Brewers as the team activated him from the IL. Hoerner went 0-for-4 in his return.

“Definitely been a lot to take on this year,” Hoerner said on Saturday. “I think every year comes with challenges like that. I think we talked about just playing these last two weeks, and that being my focus right now, obviously. But definitely when this year is done, there will be a lot to reflect on.”

After his latest rehab assignment slowed after he felt discomfort in his oblique, it’s natural to wonder if the Cubs should just shut him down.

But after missing so much time, Hoerner looks at the final two weeks as an opportunity. Not only to finish the year healthy, but have something positive to go into the offseason with.

“It’s 10-15 games in the Major Leagues,” Hoerner said. That’s a pretty awesome chance to play some good baseball and finish the year on the field. Play some shortstop. Like there’s a lot of positives and things to learn in a situation like that.

“Every year has its challenges. Obviously, it’s been more on the physical side for me this year. And I’ve learned a lot in that process and put it to use these last two weeks.”

Hoerner has had a strange first few seasons in the big leagues and after dealing with injuries throughout his professional career, he’s yet to get a full season under his belt. It’s understandable why the Cubs would want Hoerner to finish the season out to continue to see him develop and play in games.

“If you’re a real competitor and you like your job, you want to play,” manager David Ross said. “I mean, at the end of the day, he’s a baseball player who wants to play baseball. So like, it doesn’t matter if it’s a game, you know?

“It helps us see and evaluate him and then still just like, let him be in an environment that is fun, and continue to see good pitching. And then like, [with the] short season last year and not a ton of games this year, injured a lot in the minor leagues, every game matters, you know? The at-bats and all that stuff is this healthy.”

Hoerner is a big part of the Cubs’ future and will be one of the players expected to make a big contribution to next season’s roster along with the likes of guys like Nick Madrigal and Willson Contreras.

Hoerner’s versatility is going to be an important part of that puzzle. While he’s moved around the diamond a lot over his first few seasons, he’s excited to get a chance to play shortstop everyday for the time being.

“To play short again is really exciting,” Hoerner said. “Being down there and playing the last four games at shortstop is a lot of fun. Something I’ve done my whole life and I love doing. So definitely excited to do that at this level a little more.”

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