SAN FRANCISCO -- In the midst of an impressive all-around showing on Saturday night at Oracle Park, Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki was forced to exit with a right knee injury.
In the fourth inning of the Cubs’ 6-1 win over the Giants, Suzuki came up short in an effort to catch a sinking liner off the bat of Matt Chapman. After reaching forward and coming up short, Suzuki stepped awkwardly as he tried to halt his momentum before retreating after the ball. He was pulled from the game for further evaluation.
“The reports kind of after he came out were positive,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “But the most important thing is how is he going to feel tomorrow. I don’t have postgame news on him. It’s how he feels tomorrow.”
The Cubs announced that Suzuki left with “right knee discomfort.” The start of Suzuki’s season was delayed until April 10 due to a previous right knee injury (minor sprain of the posterior cruciate ligament) that he sustained during the World Baseball Classic with Team Japan.
While Suzuki described Saturday’s incident as a similar feeling, he noted that the discomfort was not as severe in this latest instance.
“Once I realized I couldn’t get the ball, I stopped,” Suzuki said via his interpreter, Edwin Stanberry. “And then when I stopped, it’s kind of similar to what happened previously, where it felt like my knee kind of moved.
“I’m wishing it’s not a big deal," Suzuki added. "I’ll wake up tomorrow, see how everything feels. And if I can go from there, go for it. If not, we’ll see how it goes.”
Counsell said he had not made a lineup decision yet with regard to Suzuki for Sunday’s series finale.
Suzuki -- who was replaced in right field by utilityman Matt Shaw -- had turned in a pair of defensive gems and contributed an RBI single to help Chicago to a 4-1 lead at the time of his exit.
During the first inning, Giants designated hitter Bryce Eldridge sent a pitch from Ben Brown into the right-field corner, where Suzuki expertly collected the ball after it bounced back into the outfield. Suzuki spun and fired, throwing Eldridge out at second base. In the third, Suzuki made a sliding grab to his left to rob Eric Haase of a potential hit. That play had a 25% catch probability, per Statcast.
“Those two plays he made were pretty incredible,” Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong said. “Everybody knows he’s got a really good arm, so it’s always fun getting to watch him show it off. He put that thing on the money.”
Suzuki also chipped in on offense, coming through with an RBI single in the third inning against Giants starter Trevor McDonald. With a walk and hit in three trips to the plate on the night, Suzuki is batting .255/.339/.433 with 10 homers, seven doubles and 28 RBIs in 57 games this year. He entered the evening batting .333 (10-for-30) with three homers and a 1.094 OPS in his previous nine games.
“Hopefully, he’s able to go tomorrow or the next day,” Crow-Armstrong said. “He seemed in good spirits after. I can’t speak for him, obviously. But if he’s doing [everything he did tonight], that’s a pretty all-around ballplayer that the league gets to watch. It’s fun.”