Chicago Cubs Offer Encouraging Update On Two Injured Stars

The Chicago Cubs have had some poor injury luck at the start of the 2024 MLB season. Their roster has yet to be whole as we enter the second week of May, but they could be getting close to having all of their regulars back in the mix as early as this week.

Over the weekend, manager Craig Counsell provided some positive updates on the status of the injured outfielders Cody Bellinger and Seiya Suzuki. Bellinger is dealing with a ribs issue, while Suzuki battles and oblique injury.

“Belli is a little ahead of Suzuki,” Counsell said. “We’re going through baseball activities, making sure they feel good coming out of that and then progressing.”

Suzuki’s injury occurred while he was running to first base, as he tweaked his oblique and has been sidelined since mid-Apirl. Bellinger was injured two weeks ago after he collided with a brick wall while tracking a fly ball.

“What’s the pain?” Counsell said of Bellinger’s daily progress. “If it’s nothing, just progress more.”

Without Bellinger and Suzuki, two of their better players, in the lineup, the Cubs offense has fallen off. Without arguably their best run producer in the middle of the order in Bellinger, the team has averaged a paltry 3.5 runs per game.

Suzuki was also off to a hot start, as his 152 OPS+ was leading the team. However, they are going to exhibit extreme caution when working him back into the mix. This is the second consecutive season that he has had an oblique issue, so they want to minimize the risk of it happening a third time.

“He got hurt on the bases, so he’ll need to do some running before he returns,” Counsell said.

Not only are the injuries hurting the Chicago Cubs, but some of the options they turned to in place of them haven’t stepped up either. There was hope that Matt Mervis could add some power to the mix with Bellinger sidelined, but he hit an underwhelming .115 in nine games before being sent back down to the minors.

“Matt struggled,” Counsell said. “We’re looking for production, and we just didn’t get it. It’s unfortunate.”

Despite the absences of Bellinger and Suzuki, the Chciago Cubs have kept pace in the NL Central. They are 21-14 on the season, only percentage points behind the Milwaukee Brewers, who are 20-13. Chicago was able to pull into a virtual tie after taking two of three games in the weekend series against their rivals.