Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday that Suzuki (knee) will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Knoxville on Friday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Counsell expects the rehab assignment to last 3-to-7 days, setting Suzuki up to make his season debut next week, either on the road against the Rays or at home versus the Pirates. Suzuki is working his way back from a strained PCL in his right knee, an injury he suffered in mid-March while playing for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic.
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Cubs' Seiya Suzuki: Nearing rehab assignment
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Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Tuesday that Suzuki (knee) will begin a rehab assignment during Chicago's upcoming road trip, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
The Cubs will begin a six-game road trip Friday in Cleveland. While Counsell was unsure which day Suzuki would begin his assignment, it's evident he's nearing a return to the field. Suzuki suffered a strained PCL a little over two weeks ago during the World Baseball Classic. Michael Conforto and Matt Shaw have been seeing increased playing time with Suzuki sidelined.
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Cubs' Seiya Suzuki: Resumes light activity
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Suzuki (knee) has resumed light throwing and hitting as the Cubs determine if an IL stint will be necessary to start the regular season, MLB.com reports.
Suzuki sustained a sprained PCL in his right knee during Team Japan's World Baseball Classic quarterfinal loss to Venezuela on March 14. The organization will likely decide sometime over the weekend if the outfielder will be ready in time for Opening Day. Even if Suzuki does need to spend some time on the injured list early in the season, manager Craig Counsell said he thinks it will be a fairly short-term issue, per Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.
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Cubs' Seiya Suzuki: Dealing with right knee discomfort
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Suzuki was removed Saturday from Team Japan's World Baseball Classic game versus Venezuela due to right knee discomfort and will continue to be evaluated, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.
Suzuki attempted to steal second base in the bottom of the first inning with a headfirst slide but came up limping afterward. He was shaking his right leg as he walked off the field with the trainer. Shota Morishita replaced Suzuki in center field. The Cubs will surely want to get Suzuki back to Arizona and get a complete diagnosis on their right fielder.
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Cubs' Seiya Suzuki: Removed from WBC game with injury
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Suzuki exited Saturday night's World Baseball Classic quarterfinals game against Venezuela in the bottom of the first inning with an undisclosed injury, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.
Suzuki was thrown out trying to steal second base and was injured on an awkward slide. He limped off the field with assistance from the training staff and was unable to take the field in the top of the second inning. Shota Morishita replaced Suzuki in center field. Suzuki's injury will be something to monitor in the coming days.
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Cubs' Seiya Suzuki: Homers again Saturday
Rotowire
Suzuki went 1-for-2 with two walks, a solo home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's 7-3 win over the Cardinals.
After going 38 games without a home run, Suzuki has now gone deep in three straight contests, including a two-homer effort Thursday. The slugging outfielder is up to 31 home runs and 102 RBI for the season, both of which are easily new career highs. The recent hot stretch gives Suzuki plenty of momentum heading into the playoffs.
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Cubs' Seiya Suzuki: Reachers 30-homer mark in style
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Suzuki went 1-for-4 with a grand slam in Friday's 12-1 win over the Cardinals.
Suzuki notched 30 home runs and 100 RBI for the first time in his major-league career with a seventh-inning grand slam. The 31-year-old has now hit safely in five straight games and gone deep three times over the past two days. For the season, he's slashing .244/.323/.491 with 30 homers, 101 RBI, 72 runs scored and five steals across 644 plate appearances.
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Cubs' Seiya Suzuki: Goes deep twice Thursday
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Suzuki went 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI in Thursday's 8-5 loss to the Mets.
Suzuki finally snapped his homerless streak, as he had gone 38 games dating back to Aug. 6 without a long ball before Thursday. Even with the power outage, the Chicago outfielder has already set a new career high with 29 home runs this season. Suzuki has also set a new career high in RBI this year with 97, and he leads the team in that department.
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Cubs' Seiya Suzuki: Not in Saturday's lineup
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Suzuki isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game versus the Reds.
Suzuki has gone 1-for-8 with two walks and an HBP since returning from an illness, and the Cubs will now give him a day to reset. Willi Castro will start in right field Saturday while Moises Ballesteros serves as the DH.
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Cubs' Seiya Suzuki: Playing after bout with illness
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Suzuki (illness) will start in right field and bat fifth in Wednesday's game against the Pirates.
After being held out of action for each of the last five games due to a bout with bronchitis, Suzuki has finally made enough improvement in his recovery to re-enter the Chicago lineup for the series finale. With Kyle Tucker (calf) still on the injured list, Suzuki will pick up a start in the corner outfield, which will keep the designated-hitter spot open up for the hot-hitting Moises Ballesteros.
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Cubs' Seiya Suzuki: Still sitting Tuesday
Rotowire
Suzuki (illness) is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Pirates.
Suzuki will sit for a fifth consecutive game as he continues to deal with an undisclosed illness. Manager Craig Counsell said previously that the outfielder traveled with the team to Pittsburgh, so he should continue to be considered day-to-day until more information is available. Moises Ballesteros will receive another start at designated hitter Tuesday.
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Cubs' Seiya Suzuki: Not expected to play Monday
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Suzuki (illness) is not expected to play in Monday's series opener against the Pirates, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.
Suzuki will travel with the team to Pittsburgh, but he appears to be on track to miss a fourth consecutive game Monday. The 31-year-old is dealing with some sort of illness, and Moises Ballesteros has drawn the start at designated hitter in Suzuki's place for the last three contests.
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Cubs' Seiya Suzuki: Getting breather Friday
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Suzuki is absent from the lineup for Friday's game against the Rays.
It looks to be a routine day off for Suzuki, who had started each of the previous 12 contests. The Cubs have Moises Ballesteros in the designated hitter slot and hitting sixth Friday.
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Cubs' Seiya Suzuki: Collects two more hits Saturday
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Suzuki went 2-for-4 with a walk and a run scored in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Rockies.
After slumping for much of August, Suzuki has produced consecutive multi-hit games at Coors Field. The slugging outfielder is still batting just .235 in 26 games this month, and he's only gone deep once in that time. Overall, Suzuki has a .247 batting average and .803 OPS to go along with 27 home runs, which is second on the team to Pete Crow-Armstrong's 28.
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Cubs' Seiya Suzuki: Tallies two hits in win
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Suzuki went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Pirates.
Suzuki got off to a slow start coming out of the All-Star break, but he's been back in form lately. Over his last 10 games, the outfielder is slashing .281/.385/.438 with a home run, four RBI and four runs scored. Overall, Suzuki is tied with Pete Crow-Armstrong for the team lead in home runs with 27. Suzuki also leads the Cubs with 86 RBI this year.
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Cubs' Seiya Suzuki: Taking seat Thursday
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Suzuki is not in the lineup for Thursday's game in Toronto.
Suzuki is sporting just a .182/.312/.286 batting line with two home runs in 22 contests since the All-Star break. Owen Caissie is in the designated-hitter spot in his major-league debut Thursday, and while it's unlikely Caissie will displace Suzuki in the lineup on a regular basis, he could eat into the latter's playing time a bit as the Cubs look to jumpstart a sluggish offense.
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Cubs' Seiya Suzuki: Snaps slump with big afternoon
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Suzuki went 2-for-2 with a walk, a home run and two RBI in Wednesday's 6-1 win over the Reds.
After getting a breather Tuesday, Suzuki returned for the Wednesday afternoon series finale and promptly mashed his 27th home run of the season, which ties him with Pete Crow-Armstrong for the team lead. Suzuki had been scuffling before Wednesday with just a .143/.284/.214 slash line in 16 games since the All-Star break, but perhaps the day off helped him get back on track.
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Cubs' Seiya Suzuki: Reaches twice, steals base in win
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Suzuki went 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI in Tuesday's 6-0 win over the Royals. He also stole a base.
Suzuki has been a slugger all season, but he displayed some uncommon wheels in Tuesday's win. The outfielder is now up to three stolen stolen bases in five attempts. Suzuki swiped 16 bases last year, but fantasy managers are likely OK swapping speed for power. The 30-year-old is tied for sixth in the majors with 26 home runs and is fourth in MLB with 81 RBI.
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Cubs' Seiya Suzuki: Hits key home run Friday
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Suzuki went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run in Friday's 4-1 win over the Red Sox.
Suzuki's 26th home run of the season with two runners on in the first inning ended up being the difference in the game. The outfielder has already set a new career high in long balls, and he's now up to sixth in the majors this year. Suzuki's 80 RBI, which are also a new career best, are good for third in MLB, trailing only sluggers Cal Raleigh with 82 and Aaron Judge with 81. Now in his fourth season since coming over from Japan, Suzuki is really taking off as an offensive force for the Cubs.
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Cubs' Seiya Suzuki: Goes deep in rout
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Suzuki went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 11-3 win over the Cardinals.
Suzuki was overshadowed a bit by Pete Crow-Armstrong, who had two home runs in the game, as well as Michael Busch, who went deep three times. However, the former still managed to provide some fireworks of his own, and he's now up to 24 long balls, which leads the team and is good for sixth in the majors. Suzuki has gone deep six times over his last 12 games, during which time he also has a robust 1.115 OPS.
