MESA, Ariz. — Seiya Suzuki could not suppress his disappointment.
The Chicago Cubs right fielder was shocked when he learned the diagnosis of his moderate oblique strain, an injury he had never experienced during his baseball career. Suzuki was disheartened knowing it meant he could not play for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic.
“I know a lot of people were kind of excited to see me out there playing,” Suzuki said Tuesday through interpreter Toy Matsushita. “So, it’s just a really unfortunate decision. It’s just very unfortunate.
“Last year’s finger injury was something I could play through. This one’s a little different. It’s kind of repetitive (motion) so I want to make sure I’m 100 percent.”
Suzuki had felt some tightness before he was scratched from Saturday’s Cactus League game, but he couldn’t judge at what point he should stop doing baseball activities due to his unfamiliarity with oblique injuries.
When asked what the grade of Suzuki’s oblique strain is, manager David Ross reiterated the Cubs are labeling it a moderate strain, joking, “I never made good grades in school ... so I have no idea.”
The Cubs do not have a timeline for Suzuki’s return and are in the process of formulating a plan. But right now, Suzuki’s readiness by opening day on March 30 appears murky.
“The goal for us is when he’s back we don’t lose him again,” Ross said. “Pushing it toward some date that we all look forward to doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. We want him to get back completely healthy. If that’s opening day, great. If it’s five days in, great, if it’s two weeks in, fine.”
