NEWSLETTER
FURTHER UPDATE: Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki got pulled from last night’s game after landing awkwardly on first base trying to beat out a double-play. Right ankle soreness was the official designation, but Suzuki is optimistic it won’t be a serious issue.
From Suzuki and the trainer:
Seiya Suzuki is day-to-day with the right ankle soreness, Ross said.
Ross was told by trainer it’s “nothing major.” Happened when he hit 1B running out double play. #Cubs
— Meghan Montemurro (@M_Montemurro) May 10, 2022
Suzuki said ankle was feeling fine after game but that it'll be up to Ross whether he's in lineup Tues.
On play itself: "I just wanted to be aggressive there & try to be safe to get that run in. In that case you want to be careful but my feelings are stronger to be safe there."
— Meghan Montemurro (@M_Montemurro) May 10, 2022
#Cubs Seiya Suzuki after exiting the game with right ankle soreness said he feels fine and should be able to play tomorrow.
— Taylor McGregor (@Taylor_McGregor) May 10, 2022
The Cubs may still give Suzuki an extra day to rest just to make sure he’s not playing at all compromised tonight. With a traditional split righty on the mound in Mike Clevinger, the Cubs could go with Jason Heyward and Rafael Ortega in the outfield (with Ian Happ, as usual, in left). Not ideal, but worth it if there’s any additional risk of Suzuki making things worse tonight, or not quite playing at close to 100%, and thus his own performance suffers.
The play certainly didn’t look all that bad, but you can see that as Suzuki lunged to first base to try to beat the double-play, his right foot didn’t hit how he wanted:
*Original post follows.*
As the Cubs took the field in the bottom of the sixth inning in San Diego, Rafael Ortega ran out to right field instead of Seiya Suzuki. No explanation has been given so far, but Suzuki did try to leg out a bang-bang double play in the top of the 5th, which gets you wondering. And worrying. With any luck this is just an abundance of caution. Suzuki was just starting to make some progress at the plate – adjusting to the league’s adjustments – and you’d hate to see that slowed down for any reason.
#Cubs Seiya Suzuki is out of the game. Rafael Ortega now in RF.
— Taylor McGregor (@Taylor_McGregor) May 10, 2022
Stay tuned. We’ll update this post as soon as we know more.
UPDATE: We might not get more information until after the game, but the consensus seems to be that pesky reaching for first base play that grabs so many players.
Suzuki looked like he might've hit the front of first base a little awkwardly as he tried to beat out the double play ball during his last at-bat in the 5th. We'll know more after the game.
— Meghan Montemurro (@M_Montemurro) May 10, 2022
UPDATE 2: Per the broadcast, Suzuki has left the game with right ankle soreness, presumably suffered on that double-play discussed above.
Seiya Suzuki left tonight's game due to right ankle soreness. pic.twitter.com/yVkqg7lV1q
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) May 10, 2022
