SEI-OW FOR SEIYA
Cubs put OF Suzuki on 10-day injured list with strained oblique
PHOENIX — Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki felt what he later described as ‘‘sudden discomfort’’ in his right oblique as he ran to first base in his last at-bat Sunday.
He had just hit a ground ball to third base in the eighth inning of the Cubs’ 3-2 victory against the Mariners and slowed as he neared first base.
On Monday, the Cubs announced they had put Suzuki on the 10-day injured list with a strained right oblique. In a corresponding move, they recalled outfielder Alexander Canario from Triple-A Iowa.
‘‘When you lose players like that, you don’t replace players like that,’’ manager Craig Counsell said. ‘‘So guys, while he’s out, hopefully pick it up around him and collectively perform on a good level around him. But you can’t replace players that are performing at that level with one person.’’
Without Suzuki, the Cubs beat the Diamondbacks 3-2 in 11 innings, with Nico Hoerner driving in the tiebreaking run with a single. Their first run came courtesy of first baseman Michael Busch, who extended his home-run streak to a franchise record-tying five games in the second.
Suzuki underwent imaging Monday morning, Counsell said, and the results will reveal more about the severity of the injury. Suzuki said he felt healthy leading up to the game Sunday and didn’t feel any pain during his last swing, only as he was running.
‘‘Right after I felt the discomfort yesterday in my last at-bat, I felt OK,’’ he said through an interpreter. ‘‘And I think that’s because of the adrenaline that was rushing, and I didn’t really feel the exact pain that I was supposed to. But after I spent one night, I do feel some discomfort still. But it’s not as serious as last year, so that’s a bright spot.’’
Last spring, Suzuki strained his left oblique while taking swings before the Cubs’ first spring-training game. The injury sidelined him for a little more than six weeks.
‘‘During the offseason, I did everything I could to make sure that I wouldn’t get injured and have the same type of injury,’’ Suzuki said. ‘‘So I think it’s really important for myself to look over everything and try to see if there’s any problems with how I run or how I swing, how my body moves.’’
Suzuki was off to a strong start, batting .305 and showing off his power with average exit velocities that put him in the top 3% of the major leagues.
‘‘It’s really unfortunate that I won’t be able to contribute to the team’s win,’’ Suzuki said. ‘‘But it’s something that already happened, and you can’t [undo it]. So it’s all about moving forward and moving past it and just trying to make sure that I don’t get the same injury again.’’
Against Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly on Monday, shortstop Dansby Swanson moved up to the No. 2 spot in the lineup that Suzuki has occupied all season. Lefthanded-hitting Mike Tauchman started in right field, and Canario came off the bench as a pinch runner in the 11th.
‘‘Without Seiya, we were sitting at three true outfielders,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘So [we] thought at this point adding another outfielder was important.’’
Canario’s playing time and the Cubs’ lineup construction are expected to be fluid with Suzuki sidelined.
Canario was slashing .269/.377/ .481 to begin the Triple-A season. He had been competing for a bench spot on the Opening Day roster for much of spring training, but the last two spots went to third baseman Nick Madrigal and first baseman/designated hitter Garrett Cooper.
‘‘Starting in Triple-A, I saw that as motivation,’’ Canario said through an interpreter. ‘‘So I made the necessary adjustments.’’