SAN FRANCISCO -- The Cubs enjoyed their largest crowds of the season on their recent homestand. There was a curtain call for Javier Báez, plenty of rowdy fans in the bleachers and Chicago rattled off five wins in six games in front of the Wrigley Field faithful.

"I think just our group and our personalities feed off the energy," Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo said.

On Thursday, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced that the city of Chicago has set June 11 as the target date for a full reopening, coinciding with the plan for Illinois. That means the Cubs could host a full-capacity crowd for the start of a three-game weekend series with the rival Cardinals, following the current road trip.

The Cubs had been hosting a crowd at 60 percent capacity (24,824 was the sellout attendance figure) during the recent homestand. That was up from 25 percent earlier this season.

"We're excited 100% of our fans will be able to come back to Wrigley," Cubs senior vice president of communications Julian Green said in a statement, "as we prepare to host our division rival, the St. Louis Cardinals, for a competitive race in the NL Central.

"The resulting economic impact will be tremendous for the city and neighborhood as we put people back to work and host upwards of 40,000 fans who will eat, shop and drink in Wrigleyville."

During the recent homestand, Rizzo said the crowds on hand already felt like a packed house.

"It's loud. It brings everything back to being a Cub," Rizzo said. "This is Wrigley Field. It's the fans. And to hear them -- to hear the roar at Wrigley -- it's just different. Sixty percent, whatever it is, it seems like it's 100 percent.

"It's an amazing feeling to play behind it. It's amazing to look out and just see how happy everyone is to be back in the ballpark."

Bryant presents interesting All-Star choice

The 2021 All-Star ballot was officially unveiled Thursday and there is no denying that Kris Bryant will be a worthy vote-getter given his MVP-caliber production out of the gate. What is suddenly interesting is where Bryant is listed.

It comes as no surprise that Bryant is among the National League's candidates at third base. That said, he has not manned third since April 20. In fact, Bryant currently ranks third on the Cubs and 21st in the NL in innings played at the hot corner.

"I think you can put him at a lot of spots," Cubs manager David Ross said.

And Ross has done just that.

Bryant has manned all three outfield spots (242 innings total) and first base (75 innings), as well as third (121 2/3 innings). Could Bryant's next start at the hot corner come in the Midsummer Classic? He entered Thursday tied for third among NL batters in WAR (2.6, per FanGraphs) with a .317/.398/.598 slash line.

On the mend

• Outfielders Jason Heyward (left hamstring) and Jake Marisnick (right hamstring) continued their Minor League rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa on Thursday. In Wednesday's game with Iowa, Heyward drew a walk in three plate appearances, while Marisnick went 1-for-3 with a double.

"The trainers said everything went well," Ross said. "No negative repercussions from playing in the game."

• Infielder David Bote (left shoulder dislocation) is "progressing well," per Ross. Bote is in San Francisco with the team and went through agility work before Thursday's game.

• Righty Alec Mills (lower back strain) worked six shutout innings in Iowa's 2-0 win over Omaha on Wednesday. Mills struck out four and walked one.

Down on the farm

• Righty Ryan Jensen (No. 8 on MLB Pipeline's Top 30 Cubs prospects list) turned in five no-hit innings with seven strikeouts and one walk on Wednesday for High-A South Bend. Jensen was a first-round pick by Chicago in the 2019 MLB Draft.

• Shortstop Ed Howard (No. 5 prospect) is currently on the seven-day injured list for Low-A Myrtle Beach. The undisclosed setback is considered minor and the Cubs are just being "extremely conservative," per a source.