Although Seiya Suzuki seems to be recovering quickly from an oblique injury, Cubs manager David Ross is staying cautious and sticking to his plan.
Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki appeared to have a successful round of batting practice on Saturday morning. It's a step in the right direction as it seems he's recovering from his oblique injury rather quickly. Cubs manager David Ross was impressed with what he saw from Suzuki.
“It’s nice and loud out there. It’s coming off the bat well—home runs,” Ross said. “He’s been hitting in the cage and it’s all been good feedback, but it looks like the ball is coming off well. He’s free and easy.”
When Suzuki suffered the injury on Feb. 28, it seemed the first few months of the 2023 season could be in jeopardy. And although he has shown signs of a speedy recovery, Ross is still sticking with his plan of not rushing the right fielder back too quickly.
The Cubs have multiple options that could fill the void in right field while Suzuki makes his recovery. Trey Mancini, Patrick Wisdom, and Christopher Morel are in the running, but the decision won’t be an easy one for Ross. Suzuki’s progress so far has put the Cubs’ manager in a difficult position regarding who will make the Opening Day roster.
“I don’t know that I want to list off all the factors that go into the decision-making, right?” Ross said. “There are a lot of them. Whether you are trying to put somebody on the roster that’s not on it, or trying to fill a gap for 10 days, is a big deal. And it’s a big decision.”
Although Suzuki appears to be on the right track, the Cubs have no plans to get him into a Cactus League game before the season starts. Ross explained that the plan is to get the 28-year-old into minor league games in a defense-only role initially before working him back into the lineup full-time.
Seiya Suzuki finished his first MLB season with a .262/.336/.433 slash line, 14 home runs, 22 doubles, 42 walks, and 46 RBIs.
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