Chicago Cubs Announce Seiya Suzuki News on Monday

The Chicago Cubs shifted Seiya Suzuki to designated hitter Monday as they opened a three-game series against the first-place Milwaukee Brewers.

Manager Craig Counsell made the move after Suzuki started all three weekend games in right field during a series against the Miami Marlins.

Matt Shaw will start in right field. Pete Crow-Armstrong remains in center, and Tyrone Taylor is in left.

The Cubs’ batting order, according to Underdog MLB, is: “Cubs 9/7 P. Crow-Armstrong CF S. Suzuki DH A. Bregman 3B T. Taylor LF N. Hoerner SS M. Shaw RF C. Kelly C B. Murray Jr. 1B P. Ramírez 2B M. Boyd SP.”

Chicago enters the Labor Day afternoon game at 81-63, seven games behind Milwaukee in the National League Central with 18 games left in the regular season.

The Cubs hold a one-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies for the top NL wild-card spot. That position would give them home-field advantage in a best-of-three first-round playoff series.

Suzuki is putting together the best season of his five-year major league career. He is batting .271 with 24 home runs and 80 RBIs in 126 games and 480 at-bats.

The 32-year-old has scored 86 runs, collected 130 hits and posted a .481 slugging percentage with an .850 OPS.

Left-hander Matthew Boyd (8-3, 4.05 ERA) starts for Chicago against Brewers left-hander Robert Gasser (4-5, 4.57 ERA). The two faced each other last week in Chicago.

Milwaukee leads the season series 6-4. This is the clubs’ 11th meeting of the year after they split a four-game set at Wrigley Field.

Crow-Armstrong hit his 40th home run of the season Sunday in Miami. Taylor has been productive lately, going 15-for-30 with four doubles over his last 10 games.

The Cubs won the first two games in Miami before dropping the finale 10-3. Outfielder Ian Happ was scratched from Sunday’s lineup with left knee discomfort, which opened a spot for Taylor in left field.

Catching the Brewers in the division remains a long shot, but Chicago is trying to protect its wild-card standing down the stretch.

Suzuki signed a five-year, $85 million contract with the Cubs before the 2022 season and has become a reliable middle-of-the-order bat.

Boyd has been solid overall this year but allowed nine home runs across five August starts. Gasser has 82 strikeouts in 86 2/3 innings.

The series carries extra weight for both clubs as the calendar turns toward the final three weeks of the season.