An MRI revealed that Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki has a strained PCL after injuring his right knee while trying to steal second base during Samurai Japan’s 8-5 loss to Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell called the update “good news” and noted that the injury was “minor in nature,” according to MLB.com.
The club has yet to decide if it will place Suzuki, 31, on the injured list ahead of Opening Day. That call will be made this weekend. Chicago begins the season, Suzuki’s fifth with the team, on March 26 against the Washington Nationals.
Coming off a 32-homer, 103-RBI 2025 campaign, in which the Cubs returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2020, Suzuki is entering the final season of his contract.
When counting the posting fee Chicago owed his former club in Nippon Professional Baseball, that five-year deal wound up costing approximately $100 million, per The Athletic.
Suzuki participated in this year’s WBC after being sidelined with an oblique injury when his Japanese teammates won the international tournament in 2023.
In four WBC games this year, he went 3-for-9 with 5 RBI and 6 walks. He smashed a pair of home runs against Korea in Pool C play.
Following his first-inning injury on Saturday, Suzuki eventually flew back to Arizona to rejoin the Cubs for the final portion of spring training.
Although Suzuki spent the majority of his time last season at designated hitter, he’s expected to serve as the Cubs’ primary right fielder in 2026.
If he’s to miss time at the beginning of the year, others can step up in his place and team up with left fielder Ian Happ and center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong.
Possible replacements include Matt Shaw and Michael Conforto.
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