Chicago Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki to miss season start with knee injury, confirms Craig Counsell

Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki will miss the start of the Major League Baseball season after suffering a minor ligament injury in his right knee, manager Craig Counsell confirmed on Saturday.

The injury occurred during the World Baseball Classic earlier this month, when Suzuki hurt himself while attempting a slide in Japan’s quarterfinal defeat to Venezuela.

Counsell confirmed Suzuki will miss Opening Day, with the team still deciding whether to give him additional recovery time.

"Opening Day is not going to happen," Counsell said.

"[He's] not going to be ready to play on Opening Day. We've got to make a decision. Once you get past Opening Day, we've got to make a decision: Does it just make sense to just give him some time? We've got time to make that decision, but that's kind of where we're at."

He was subsequently withdrawn from the game and returned to the Cubs’ spring training camp in Arizona for further evaluation.

Counsell has ruled the 31-year-old out of the season opener against the Washington Nationals at Wrigley Field, stating that the club will take a cautious approach to his recovery.

A decision on whether Suzuki will be placed on the injured list is yet to be made, with the team expected to monitor his progress over the coming days.

Suzuki, who is in the final year of his five-year, $85 million contract, is coming off an impressive 2025 season in which he hit 32 home runs and recorded 103 RBIs, maintaining a .269 career batting average in MLB.

His absence is a setback for Chicago as they prepare for the new season, and the team may look to alternative outfield options in the short term.

However, the Cubs remain optimistic that the injury is not serious and expect Suzuki to return soon after Opening Day.