After five weeks on the injured list, Seiya Suzuki is set to make his return to the Chicago Cubs.
Things have not gone great for the Chicago Cubs through the first couple of months of the season. Entering the Fourth of July, the Cubs were tied with the Pittsburgh Pirates for third place in the NL Central. Fans needed some good news to come their way, and the team provided just that.
On Monday, July 4, the Cubs officially activated outfielder Seiya Suzuki from the injured list, as he recovered from a sprained left ring finger. The team optioned outfielder Narciso Crook to Triple-A in a corresponding move.
Cubs activate Seiya Suzuki from injured list
Suzuki did not wait long to be in the starting lineup, as he was batting in the No. 4 spot in the team’s game July 4 game against the first-place Milwaukee Brewers.
This past offseason, Chicago signed Suzuki to a five-year, $85 million contract after he made the jump to MLB after spending the beginning of his playing career with the Nippon Professional Baseball’s (NPB) Hiroshima Toyo Carp.
Suzuki thrived at the start of the season, as he hit three home runs in his first four games played with the Cubs. He also won the National League’s Player of the Week award in his first full week in MLB.
He last played in the team’s game against the Cincinnati Reds on May 26.
Through his 41 games played, Suzuki recorded a .245 batting average, a .344 on-base percentage, a .432 slugging percentage, four home runs, 21 RBI, and 34 hits.
After over a month sidelined due to injury, Suzuki is back with the Cubs.