SAN ANTONIO, Texas — There’s no definitive clarity on a return timeline for Nico Hoerner after undergoing surgery on his arm in mid-October.

That much is certain.

But if there’s any worry about second base if Hoerner misses any time, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer isn’t showing it.

“I don’t think there’s any ripple effects,” Hoyer said Monday afternoon at the General Managers meetings at the JW Marriott resort. “I think it’s a position that we have some depth in the minor leagues with guys like [Matt] Shaw and [James] Triantos.”

Shaw and Triantos both reached Triple-A in 2024 and have put themselves on the radar for a potential major league call-up in 2025.

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Shaw was in major league Spring Training camp in 2024 and went on to slash .284/.379/.488 (.867 OPS) with 21 home runs, 71 RBI and 31 stolen bases across Double-A and Triple-A. The 2023 1st-round pick posted a 146 wRC+ in 523 plate appearances.

He’s primarily been playing third base (64 games at the hot corner) but he was originally drafted as a middle infielder and played 24 games at second base in 2024.

Triantos, 21, started 86 games at second base across Double-A and Triple-A and hit .300 with a .773 OPS, 7 HRs, 47 SBs and a 123 wRC+.

Hoyer isn’t directly saying Triantos or Shaw will be the Opening Day starters at second base if Hoerner isn’t ready, but it’s more of how deep the Cubs farm system is — if injury arises, there’s a pair of top 100 prospects ready to step into the role.

If Hoerner is only out for a short amount of time, then the Cubs might choose to go with an option already on the 40-man roster — like Miles Mastrobuoni or Nick Madrigal. For now, it’s wait-and-see mode for the Cubs.

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So, while the Cubs wait to see how Hoerner recovers, they’ll take solace in their depth should they need to dip into it.

“When I look at, where we are for next year, we have multiple corner outfielders that if someone goes down, they can step in,” Hoyer said. “It is really nice to have that depth.

“I think when you talk about farm systems, a lot of times, if they’re talking about guys in High-A, Low-A, it’s great to have that pipeline, but they’re non-usable pieces in the big leagues. And I think our guys are rapidly becoming usable major league depth.”