The Chicago Cubs are off to a respectable 19-14 start to the 2024 season despite being without two key players in Cody Bellinger and Seiya Suzuki. But, it appears they won’t be sidelined for much longer.
Craig Counsell said Saturday that Bellinger and Suzuki will likely come off the IL at some point in the next week. Via Patrick Mooney:
“Cody Bellinger (right rib fracture) and Seiya Suzuki (right oblique strain) could both be activated off the injured list at some point in the coming week, according to Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell.”
Counsell revealed Bellinger is a tad ahead of Suzuki at the moment. Via Jesse Rogers of ESPN:
“Belli is a little ahead of Suzuki,” Counsell said before the Cubs hosted the Milwaukee Brewers. “We’re going through baseball activities, making sure they feel good coming out of that and then progressing.”
Cubs need Bellinger, Suzuki
This is big news for the Cubbies. Bellinger enjoyed a bounce-back campaign last season in Chicago before signing an extension in spring training worth $80 million across three years. After struggling with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he batted .307 with 26 bombs.
Belli played in 22 contests in 24′ before his ribs injury, hitting .226 with five homers and 17 RBI. Not great numbers, but it’s still early. The team put him on the IL on April 24th after X-rays came back negative. The veteran ran into the outfield wall while attempting to catch a fly ball.
As for Suzuki, he hasn’t played since mid-April after tweaking his oblique while running to first base. The outfielder was raking in 15 games played, slashing .305 with three bombs, four doubles, and 13 RBI. Suzuki was fantastic last year, hitting .285 with 20 long balls and 74 RBI. He had an oblique issue in 23′ as well, so it’s an injury Chicago is wary of.
Without Bellinger and Suzuki, the Cubs offense isn’t exactly performing. They’re scoring just over three runs per contest since Bellinger got injured. Chicago is only 3-6 since Belli went on the IL.
On Sunday, Bellinger sounded optimistic about his recovery. Via MLB.com:
“Even from three days ago, [I’m feeling] way better,” Bellinger said after his pregame workout on Sunday. “I feel like, every day, it seems to get stronger. It’s better when I move.”
Overall, the Cubs are averaging 4.8 runs per game, which is respectable. It’s just clear that when Belli and Suzuki aren’t in the lineup, this is not the same team. Totally understandable considering they’re two of Chicago’s best hitters.
As things stand, Counsell’s group is two games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the National League Central. The Cubbies are in the midst of a weekend three-game set with their divisional rivals, losing the series opener on Friday evening.
Both Bellinger and Suzuki took batting practice and did some defensive drills pre-game on Saturday, so it’s clear the two are trending in the right direction. After visiting Milwaukee, it’s off to Southern California to face the San Diego Padres, who just traded for Luis Arraez.
If the Cubs get healthy soon, the NL Central title is very much a possibility as the campaign rolls on.
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