PHILADELPHIA — Seiya Suzuki’s ability to take his offensive performance to the next level in the second half of the season the last two years is something even the Japanese slugger can’t explain.
“I’m not sure myself either,” Suzuki said last week through interpreter Edwin Stanberry. “Realistically, I would want it to happen earlier.”
After putting up a .350/.406/.667 slash line over the last two months of 2023, Suzuki has been locked in since the beginning of June. In his previous 70 games entering Tuesday against the Philadelphia Phillies, he is hitting .296 with a .382 on-base percentage and .500 slugging percentage. His 147 wRC+ in that span ranks ninth among National League hitters.
Suzuki collected two hits and drove in two runs before a pinch hitter replaced him in the eighth inning of the Chicago Cubs’ 10-4 win Tuesday over the Phillies. He sprained his right ankle while running the bases during the sixth inning, noticeably limping back to the dugout after scoring on Cody Bellinger’s three-run triple. Suzuki expressed optimism after the game that he could be back in the lineup soon, though the severity of the injury is not yet clear and only four games remain in the Cubs’ season.
“Seiya has proven that he’s just a good all-around hitter, he’s shown the ability to draw walks, to hit for power — he’s become consistent,” manager Craig Counsell said prior to the game. “The weird oblique injury that happened running on a weird case, I think Seiya was going to have a monster season, a really big season, and I think that cost him a little bit on the way back in and cost him some consistency because he was really locked in, and I think we would have seen even a little bit more there.”
Suzuki has predominately been the Cubs’ designated hitter following Bellinger’s return to the field from a fractured finger in mid-August. It has required an adjustment to figure out a routine that keeps him prepared during the inherent downtime that comes with that role in the game. Suzuki typically will use an exercise bike, jump rope, incorporate a medicine ball and sprint down a hallway to keep loose.
“I focus on not trying to get my body cold, keep my heart rate up,” Suzuki said. “When I’m playing the outfield, I’m moving more, so I want to get that same feeling when I’m playing and then going into the box while I’m DHing. So just getting creative with stuff I’m doing in between at-bats. … Every day I’m tired. I might be more tired than playing in the field.
“When I was playing right, even if I’m not hitting I can back it up on defense, but when you’re just DHing and you have a bad at-bat or something, I’m still kind of trying to figure that one out. It is difficult to adjust to the next at-bat, try not to bring that in. But it’s a process and I’m still trying to figure that one out.”
Suzuki’s strong finish again sets up high expectations around the 30-year-old for next season. While he’s shown he can handle the DH role, which some hitters can struggle with, Suzuki might find himself in right field more next year if Bellinger opts out of his deal. Avoiding injuries will be an important piece of delivering a big year in 2025. Suzuki has missed time on the injured list in each of his three big-league seasons, twice because of oblique strains.
“This year I didn’t have too many long slumps, not too many times it was going up and down,” Suzuki said. “That’s pretty consistent, but I do think if I didn’t get hurt my numbers could have been better.”
