Seiya Suzuki limped off the field after attempting to steal second base in last Saturday's World Baseball Classic quarterfinals matchup versus Venezuela. He then watched his country suffer an upset loss hours later. Needless to say, it was a rough weekend for the Japanese outfielder and designated hitter. He got some better news on Tuesday, however. The knee injury he suffered is a minor PCL strain. Chicago Cubs fans should brace themselves for a potential absence, but it could have been much worse.

The organization is not ready to shut down Suzuki. He will continue to participate in a limited capacity and monitor his discomfort. Though, even if the 31-year-old avoids the injured list, his status for an Opening Day face-off with the Washington Nationals on March 26 is obviously in doubt. Suzuki is not looking ahead just yet, however. He is taking things one step at a time.

“It seems like every day it's getting better,” he said through his translator, per Marquee Sports Network. “It's gonna be day-by-day, seeing where the pain level is at and then once it dissipates, start getting my body ready.”

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In other words, the Wrigley Faithful will have to wait and see how Suzuki progresses in the next week. Although the Cubs possess a fair amount of offensive talent, not to mention a dynamic starting pitching rotation, it is never easy to lose a consistent contributor. The right-handed slugger batted .245 with 32 home runs, 103 RBIs, a .326 on-base percentage, .478 slugging percentage and .804 OPS in 151 games last season.

Seiya Suzuki will enter free agency after the 2026 MLB campaign, so he should be especially motivated to preserve his health during the remainder of spring training. Because a knee injury can affect a player's swing, the Cubs may not want him to push through the pain. This is just the initial evaluation period, though. A recovery timetable will ideally emerge next week.