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Chicago Cubs get big Seiya Suzuki news

Originally posted on ChiCitySports | By Vincent Pensabene | Last updated Apr 6, 2026 2:25 PM ET

The Chicago Cubs have struggled throughout the beginning portion of the regular season.

One of the issues has been injuries, as one player missing from the lineup has been right fielder Seiya Suzuki. As he is dealing with an injury, he is close to making his 2026 debut with Chicago.

Let’s take a deeper dive into when he is expected to return to the field.

Chicago Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki is expected to return on Friday

Mar 14, 2026; Miami, FL, United States; Japan center fielder Seiya Suzuki (51) exits the game after an apparent injury against Venezuela in the first inning during a quarterfinal game of the 2026 World Baseball Classic at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

It appears that Suzuki is getting ready to return to the Cubs lineup very soon.

Following the doubleheader against the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday, manager Craig Counsell revealed some news regarding his right fielder. He would say that Suzuki will remain in his rehab assignment this week and is expected to return when the Cubs head back to Wrigley Field on Friday.

However, Counsell did discuss how it could be a slower process:

“We’re probably dealing with at-bats as much as anything here. He didn’t get a full spring. Multiple weeks off. It’s just making sure he’s ready to go offensively… We want him to play right field, so we’ll activate him when he’s ready to play right field.”

During his rehab games, he has played right field twice and DH once. Suzuki suffered an injury during the 2026 World Baseball Classic as part of Team Japan. He suffered a strained PCL and has been preparing to make his season debut.

Suzuki is coming off his best season since joining MLB for the 2022 season. He received National League MVP votes as in 151 games, he had a .804 OPS with 32 homers, 103 RBI, and 75 runs scored.

With Chicago struggling to maintain enough offense to remain competitive, adding Suzuki to the lineup makes it even better. Currently, Michael Conforto and Matt Shaw are splitting time in right field, so adding him back would significantly improve the offense.

It will be intriguing to see if Suzuki will return on Friday and how the Cubs decide how much he will play early on.

This article first appeared on ChiCitySports and was syndicated with permission.

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