Cubs' brutal May could be tied directly to slump from the one player fans least expected

It's still too early for an audit on what wrong for the Chicago Cubs' 2026 season, considering they have four months to get the season back on track. That isn't a tall order for the Cubs, considering they are less than a game out of a postseason spot in the National League. Having said that, looking for how the Cubs can get back on track, the answer may be Nico Hoerner.

During the first month of the season, Hoerner provided instant validation for the six-year extension he signed with the Cubs just after Opening Day. Hoerner carried a slash line of .291/.370/.449 through his first 149 plate appearances with a wRC+ of 135. Hoerner also tapped into his power approach with four home runs during the opening month of the 2026 campaign.

He was creating scoring opportunities with his ability to get on base, and taking advantage of scoring opportunities created for him. But as the Cubs' lineup has struggled during the month of May, Hoerner's offensive numbers have regressed across the board.

Nico Hoerner has disappeared offensively for the Cubs

Through 95 plate appearances this month, Hoerner is slashing .195/.295/.256 with a wRC+ of 65. While there's been some instances over the past month where certain Cubs players have been unlucky, like Moises Ballesteros, that hasn't been the case for Hoerner. Emphasizing the poor contact Hoerner has been making in May, his BABIP is only .203.

Power has once again been completely removed from Hoerner's profile, and while he still has terrific bat-to-ball skills, the contact he's been making for the Cubs recently hasn't been productive. It's why Hoerner's slump could be the underrated element to just how poor the Cubs' offense has looked during their nine-game losing streak.

In part, that's been the problem with the Craig Counsell critics who are upset with what he says publicly. Nothing Counsell says is going to fix the problem that has been the Cubs' most dependable bats going silent. The fix is simply the players on the Cubs roster returning to their career expectations.

It starts with Hoerner. Hoerner likely won't have the power profile he flashed during the first month of the season, but if he returns to being the hitter who flirts with a .300 batting average on the season, that would be a development that pushes the Cubs' offense back in the direction they need to go if they still have a chance of living up to the lofty expectations that were set at the start of the season.

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