Every player understands the high-risk, high-reward stakes they’re signing up for when they choose to represent their country and play in the World Baseball Classic. That high-risk may have caught up with Seiya Suzuki and the Chicago Cubs last night in the quarterfinal match between Japan and Venezuela. In the first inning, Suzuki was thrown out at second base on a steal attempt and came up lame. He limped off the field with a trainer and did not return to the game with what was called right knee discomfort. It has not been determined to this point how serious the injury is, but if the Cubs were to be without Suzuki for an extended period of time, it would be a huge loss.

Cannot replace a Seiya Suzuki:

In the Cubs lineup, Suzuki simply isn’t replaceable from a production standpoint. In 2025, the 31-year-old was injury-free for the first time as a Cub, and as a result, he put together a breakout campaign. Suzuki belted a career-high 32 home runs and drove in a team-leading 103 RBIs. The power numbers carried over for Suzuki in his first postseason appearance as well. The designated hitter went 7-for-31 at the plate with six of those hits being for extra bases. Suzuki hit three home runs and three doubles while driving in five RBIs in those eight games. Since joining the Cubs in 2022, Suzuki has been a steady presence in the heart of the Cubs order. In those four years, he led the Cubs with 87 home runs and added 296 RBIs, which is the second most on the Cubs during that span.

Who could hold down the fort:

After appearing primarily as a designated hitter last season, Suzuki was looking to return to being the primary right fielder this year with the departure of Kyle Tucker. So if Suzuki did have to miss an extended period of time, the Cubs do have a few options to play right field. With Suzuki playing in the WBC this Spring, Matt Shaw was able to get some extra reps in the outfield that he may not have otherwise gotten. The Cubs want Shaw to play a super-utility role so he could potentially hold down right field if needed. The Cubs also signed both Dylan Carlson and Michael Conforto to minor league deals this Spring. Carlson has put together a solid spring, hitting .357 with a .514 OBP in 13 games. So if he were to make the team out of camp, we could see him in right field as well.

A Suzuki injury could also open the door to more playing time for the Cubs’ top prospects, Moises Ballesteros and Kevin Alcantara. Ballesteros is the Cubs’ top bat and would likely see his opportunities come at designated hitter. This spring, he is hitting .333 in nine games with two doubles and six RBIs. Alcantara has been on the big league squad before, but has never really received any playing time to show what he can do. He’s had a modest spring to this point, hitting .292 in his eight games.

Again, we still don’t know the severity of Suzuki’s injury, and hopefully it isn’t serious to where he needs an IL stint. Maybe he misses a few games to start the season, and the Cubs can hold down the fort in the meantime. They, of course, don’t offer the production and upside that Suzuki does, but it’s good to know that they have options available to take his place