MESA, Ariz. — Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki’s left oblique injury, no matter its severity, will factor into Opening Day roster decisions.
The Cubs are giving more members of their medical team time Monday to analyze the imaging done on Suzuki’s left oblique before announcing his timeline to return. Suzuki was scratched from the lineup on Saturday, before the Cubs’ spring training opener.
Manager David Ross said he was “not ready to make any statements” on whether the injury would keep Suzuki out of the World Baseball Classic. But even without a final diagnosis, Suzuki’s participation in the WBC looks doubtful. Team Japan begins pool play in a week and a half. Even a pre-Opening Day return may not be certain.
Ross declined to say if the Cubs expected Suzuki back in time for the start of the regular season.
“I would be answering other questions with answering that,” he said.
The injuries are already piling up for the Cubs. They’ve scratched a player from the lineup in each of their first three days of spring training games. First it was Suzuki, then lefty Justin Steele (left arm fatigue).
On Monday, before the Cubs played split-squad games against the Guardians at home and Diamondbacks on the road, they announced they’d pulled third baseman Patrick Wisdom from the lineup in Scottsdale with a tight left groin.
Steele is set to throw a bullpen Tuesday and make his next start on schedule, and the Cubs characterized Wisdom’s ailment as something he’d play through in the regular season. But with Suzuki out, the Cubs are having to think about contingencies in right field.
“He looked really good,” Ross said of the strength Suzuki added over the offseason. “He worked his tail off to take care of his body, and sometimes things happen. There is some negativity in that, for sure; you want everybody to stay healthy. And if you want to flip it to a positive, we’ve got a lot of games that don’t matter quite yet. And hopefully, whatever the timeline is, we’ll build him up in the right way to get him back on the field as soon as possible.”
Wisdom, assuming his groin tightness doesn’t linger, can play in right field. Trey Mancini joined the team expecting to play first base, outfield and designated hitter. Ross also mentioned non-roster invitee Mike Tauchman as an outfielder in the mix.
“Those are the first guys that have come to my mind in how I’m reworking the schedules down the road for some people to play right in case Seiya can’t get back,” Ross said.
Suzuki’s health adds a wrinkle to the bench battle. Even if he doesn’t start the season on the injured list, will the Cubs want to work in extra off days for him? Will that, in turn, give a boost to versatile defenders who can play outfield? The third base position battle is full of those types of players.
With the outfield starters otherwise set, how is Ross looking at a roster spot for a fourth outfielder? Would it be beneficial to carry a true center fielder like non-roster invitee Ben DeLuzio, who also provides speed on the base paths? Is having a variety of hitting profiles on the bench a priority for matchup purposes?
“I view it as letting things play out,” Ross said, “and see who stands out.”
