Just what was feared had happened with the Cubs. When Seiya Suzuki got hurt during the WBC quarterfinal, fans feared that he might miss the first leg of the regular season, and the Cubs also announced that Suzuki is unavailable for Opening Day. However, the latest update from the Cubs manager, Craig Counsell, is scarier and forces a recall of what the Astros faced with Jose Altuve after the 2023 WBC.

“Counsell: Seiya Suzuki (knee) will begin season on IL,” Underdog MLB shared via X.

Since Suzuki slid to steal a base in that WBC game, the knee was not looking good, but there were no update about any serious issues. However, just as Counsell shared that Suzuki entered the Injured List, we assume that Suzuki’s knee took a heavy toll. There’s no further information available about how many days he would stay in the IL, but that couldn’t be any less than 2 weeks.

So, the Cubs are entering the 2026 regular season without their consistent performer from last year.

Suzuki signed a 5-year, $85 million deal with the Cubs in 2022. Currently, he is in a rental before hitting free agency again. But more than how much the Cubs would lose from his deal due to his absence, it was his numbers from last year that would haunt the team more. Reportedly, last year, Suzuki had a breakout year.

He set career highs with 32 HRs and 103 RBI over 151 games. He finished with a .245 batting average and .804 OPS. Moreover, he was also named NL Player of the Week in May 2025, during which he was central to the Cubs’ offense. He batted at .321 in April last year. So, this year, the initial kickstart that Suzuki is known to offer to the Cubs would be missed.

Now, with how the Cubs’ timeline with Seiya Suzuki emerged, we can’t help but recall what the Astros faced post 2023 WBC. Reportedly, Jose Altuve suffered a fractured right thumb after being hit by a pitch while playing for Venezuela in the 2023 WBC. As a result, he was out for the first 43 games with the Astros in the regular season.

This time, it’s even scarier to think that the Cubs could have the same impact. Nevertheless, Suzuki’s injury has caused the Cubs to race against time to come up with replacements.

The Cubs’ Suzuki replacement is nothing short of scary

If Seiya Suzuki’s injury is not haunting enough for the Cubs fans, his replacement is. The Cubs have announced Michael Conforto as his replacement. The same Conforto who had a rough season last year with the Dodgers. He batted .199 in 138 games. So, after the Cubs signed him to a minor league deal for one year, it was least expected that he would make it to the major league roster.

“A little sigh of relief. It was an exciting opportunity with this team and the amount of talent in this camp. I needed to play well and show I could contribute. I felt like I did that.” Conforto sounds confident about contributing to the Cubs.

However, apart from Conforto, Matt Shaw could be another great option in place of Suzuki. He, although, played great last year at the hot corner, but he is steadily coming up as a utility player. Apart from being batted at .221 last year, he recorded 9 DRS in defense. So, Shaw could cover the short-term absence of Suzuki.

But despite Conforto or Shaw filling the gap, Cubs nation would just pray that Suzuki’s IL stay not get extended.