The Cubs announced Tuesday that an MRI revealed a “mild” left oblique strain of the right-handed player. siya suzuki. The 28-year-old has already withdrawn from the World Baseball Classic, but it’s not yet clear how long he can expect to miss.
Chicago took a strangely vague approach to Suzuki’s injury, refusing to go into specifics of the breed (i.e. Grade 1, Grade 2). The team originally announced on Sunday that Suzuki was experiencing tightness in his left oblique and was scheduled for some filming, with an update expected yesterday. Instead, a manager David Ross He demurred on Monday, telling reporters that the Cubs have been in a “wait-and-see” mode. Today’s update, outside of acknowledging the pressure, offers no further clarity on the severity of the injury or a possible timetable for Suzuki to return to the field. At this point, it is not clear if the team expects him to open the season on the injured list.
Suzuki, 28, is heading into the second season of a five-year, $85 million contract that was signed last winter. He enjoyed a solid, albeit injury-shortened, MLB first-season campaign last year, appearing in 111 games and hitting .262/.336/.433 with 14 home runs, 22 doubles, a pair of triples, nine steals, and a 9.4% walk percentage. . rate and write-off rate of 24.7%. Suzuki missed over a month with a finger injury and was also away from the club while on the paternity list. His production was particularly gritty in the first and last months of the season, but his year-end output scored about 16% better than that of a major league hitter, as measured by WRC+.
With the Cubs options in right field, Suzuki should miss the time, consisting of utility linemen Christopher Morell And Zack McKinstry; corner barriers Trey Mancini And Patrick wise (who has 199 major-league runs in the outfield), and two minor leaguers Nelson Velazquezand Brennan Davis Alexander Canario (all in the 40-man list); and uninvited Mike Tauchman And Ben DiLuzio (among other things). Ian Happ And Cody Bellinger He is expected to consistently hit left field and center field, respectively.
Like Patrick Mooney of The Athletic pointing toRoss specifically mentioned Wisdom as an option in right field if Suzuki is sidelined. Hakama was scratched from yesterday’s Cactus League game due to tightness in his groin, but is back in the squad for today’s game.
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