CHICAGO -- Seiya Suzuki put on a show in batting practice during Monday’s pregame workout, peppering the bleachers at Wrigley Field with a pile of impressive home runs. That checked the box of looking very much like a hitter who was ready to step back into the heart of the Cubs’ lineup.
On Tuesday, Suzuki kept checking off even more tasks, making it clear that a return to game action was the next step for the sidelined outfielder. On the 10-day injured list with a right knee injury, Suzuki did defensive drills, baserunning and added some sliding on a mat in the outfield to his increasing workload.
“We really tried to put him through one last test, really,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said on Tuesday. “We’re in a really good space.”
One key aspect to Tuesday’s workout -- besides sliding -- was having Suzuki mix in starting and stopping while doing his baserunning. The Cubs wanted to be sure he could handle some more unpredictable movements as part of the running progression.
Suzuki sustained a mild sprain of the posterior cruciate ligament in his knee on a stolen-base attempt in the first inning of Team Japan’s quarterfinals loss to Venezuela on March 14 in the World Baseball Classic. Soon after rejoining the Cubs in Arizona, he was able to resume baseball activities, but a season-opening stint on the IL was unavoidable.
Last season, Suzuki finished with career highs in home runs (32), walks (71) and RBIs (103), while also posting 31 doubles, a .478 slugging percentage and a 130 OPS+ for the Cubs. The right fielder then hit another three homers with a .613 SLG in eight postseason games in Chicago’s run to the National League Division Series.
That is an important bat for the Cubs to get back into the mix.
Suzuki has now reached the point of heading out on a Minor League rehab assignment, which he will do during the Cubs’ upcoming road trip through Cleveland (Friday-Sunday) and Tampa Bay (April 6-8). Due to weather considerations, the Cubs are still determining if the outfielder will join Double-A Knoxville or Triple-A Iowa, per Counsell.
Counsell said the length of Suzuki’s rehab assignment is “still to be determined,” but has left open the possibility of the outfielder being activated during the road trip. That said, it is also worth noting that Tampa Bay’s Tropicana Field has artificial turf and Chicago will be back home at Wrigley Field on April 10 following a team off-day.
The Cubs want to be sure Suzuki will not be limited to the designated hitter role prior to taking him off the IL.
“A little bit will be on how he feels, for sure,” Counsell said. “We want him to play right field, so we’ll activate him when he’s ready to play right field.”