Chicago Cubs fans have been holding their breath over the last few days due to Seiya Suzuki walking gingerly off the field in Team Japan’s WBC semifinal game against Venezuela. The play where Suzuki appeared to tweak his knee came on a steal attempt in the first inning.
On Tuesday, Cubs manager Craig Counsell provided an update on the Seiya Suzuki situation and how they will be measuring him over the next few days to further assess his status for MLB Opening Day.
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Seiya Suzuki Diagnosed with Mild PCL Strain
GettySeiya Suzuki #27 of the Chicago Cubs reacts after an RBI single in the first inning off Jake Irvin of the Washington Nationals at Wrigley Field on September 22, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois.
According to Craig Counsell, Seiya Suzuki has been diagnosed with a mild PCL (posterior cruciate ligament) strain in his right knee. Counsell added that the Cubs will see how he progresses in the next few days before deciding whether or not he will require a season-opening stint on the injured list.
There were a lot of reports floating around on the night that Suzuki appeared to injure himself, and while nobody had indicated that he would be out for an extended period of time, this report seems to be positive news on the injury front, and even a 10-day IL stint wouldn’t be the worst-case scenario either.
However, if the injury develops into something more serious, it would be a big blow to the Cubs roster, which is depending on Suzuki to slug at the rate he normally does.
Suzuki has averaged about 50 extra-base hits per season over the last three campaigns, and with Kyle Tucker no longer being in the lineup, Seiya’s at-bats become that much more important. He has a career 129 OPS+ and 87 career home runs in four seasons with the Cubs.
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What Does Seiya Suzuki News Mean for the Cubs?
This will depend on the next update that Craig Counsell makes about the right knee situation, but if all goes well in spring training, it’s also fair to believe that Counsell could announce that Seiya Suzuki will be Chicago’s clean-up hitter on Opening Day.
In other Cubs news, Pete Crow-Armstrong will compete for the WBC final with Team USA on Tuesday night against Venezuela. And aside from this Suzuki injury and a few other minor ailments, Chicago seems to be fairly healthy as the regular season is less than two weeks away.
Since March 1, there’s been a limited number of injury designations on the official “Chicago Cubs Injury Status” page.
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