Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell announced Saturday that star outfielder Seiya Suzuki will be unavailable when the team opens its season Thursday against Washington at Wrigley Field due to a knee injury.
Speaking to reporters before Saturday’s spring training matchup against Seattle in Peoria, Arizona, Counsell confirmed that while Suzuki won’t be ready for the season opener, the team hasn’t decided whether to place him on the injured list.
“Look, we’ve had good days ever since he’s been back to camp,” Counsell said. “Opening Day, it’s not going to happen. (He’s) not going to be ready to play on Opening Day. Once you get past Opening Day, we’ve got to make a decision, does it just make sense to give him some time? We’ve got time to make that decision.”
The 31-year-old slugger injured his right posterior cruciate ligament with a minor sprain while trying to steal second base during Japan’s World Baseball Classic quarterfinal defeat to Venezuela on March 14. Venezuela went on to win the tournament.
Now in his fifth season with Chicago, Suzuki has participated in throwing and batting practice but hasn’t begun running exercises yet.
Last season marked a career year for Suzuki, who launched 32 home runs and knocked in 103 RBIs across 151 games. Throughout his four-year Cubs tenure, he’s maintained a .269 batting average while hitting 87 homers and driving in 296 runs.
The outfielder is playing out the final season of his five-year, $85 million deal with Chicago.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that non-roster player Michael Conforto has been notified he’ll join the 40-man roster and start the season with the Cubs. The veteran outfielder brings 10 years of major league experience from stints with the New York Mets (2015-21), San Francisco Giants (2023-24), and Los Angeles Dodgers (2025). His career totals include 179 home runs and 556 RBIs, with his best season coming in 2019 when he hit 33 homers and drove in 92 runs.
