Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki is back from the injured list after missing the first two weeks of the season with a knee sprain, according to multiple reports. Dylan Carlson was designated for assignment to clear space for Suzuki’s return. Chicago is also placing Phil Maton on the IL with a knee injury. Ethan Roberts is expected to be recalled to take his spot.
Suzuki banged up his knee while playing with Samurai Japan in the World Baseball Classic. He opened the regular season on the IL, but it wasn’t expected to be an extended absence. Suzuki ultimately needed just five rehab games at Double-A to get up to speed. He hit .429 with a pair of doubles with Knoxville.
Manager Craig Counsell told reporters, including Bruce Levine of 670 The Score, that Suzuki will not play every day once he rejoins the team. The veteran figures to be a fixture in the lineup once he’s reacclimated to the big-league schedule.
Matt Shaw has handled the majority of right field reps in Suzuki’s stead. It’s his first time playing the outfield as a professional. Shaw has held his own with the glove so far, recording 1 Defensive Run Saved over 81 innings. He’s posted a 108 wRC+ with two home runs in 39 plate appearances. Shaw will likely shift to more of a utility role with Suzuki back.
The Cubs added Carlson on a minor league deal in late January. He slashed .298/.421/.404 in 20 MLB Spring Training games to land a big-league roster spot. The former Cardinal appeared in just three games with Chicago. He went hitless in four at-bats.
Carlson has bounced around since his time in St. Louis came to an end. The Cardinals sent him to the Rays at the 2024 trade deadline for right-hander Shawn Armstrong. He landed with the Orioles last season, earning part-time work. Carlson struggled to a 74 wRC+ with Baltimore. The former top prospect has a .683 OPS in his MLB career.
Maton was the top acquisition in a bullpen overhaul that also included the additions of Hunter Harvey, Caleb Thielbar, Hoby Milner, and Jacob Webb. He signed a two-year, $14.5MM deal with the club. Maton opened his Chicago tenure with two scoreless outings, but struggled in recent appearances. The right-hander gave up two earned runs in each of his last three games.
Maton’s final outing before hitting the IL was a low-leverage spot against the Rays. He entered in the eighth inning of a game the Cubs were leading 7-0. Three hits and an HBP plated a pair of runs, requiring Counsell to go to Thielbar to secure the final out of the frame.
Roberts came up over the weekend as the 27th man for the doubleheader against the Guardians. He appeared in the second game, allowing an inherited runner to score before recording the last two outs of the eighth inning. The righty has now pitched in parts of four seasons with Chicago. Roberts has a 4.91 ERA across 44 innings as a big leaguer.
Patrick Mooney of The Athletic was first to report Suzuki’s activation and Carlson’s designation. Levine was first on Maton’s IL placement. Jesse Rogers of ESPN first reported Roberts’ recall.
Photo courtesy of Matt Marton, Imagn Images
CC had some real beef w Carlson. Must have been making goo goo eyes at his wife or something to get so little at bats aka not a chance…… should of not even brought him north in that case
Nah…no beef…just guys like Happ, PCA, Shaw, Ballesteros, Conforto all better.
Rosters happen to have 26 guys….Carlson at this point just slotted in at #26.
The best idea is not to have those 25th and 26th guys get too many, if any, at bats. Only means your better players aren’t playing well or are hurt.
In the day of the DH, the double switch and pinch hitting for the pitcher are gone.
Your post should be a watershed moment for Carlson. When someone states that Michael Conforto is better than you, it should trigger an epic soul search that leads him to the top of a Tibetan mountain asking a yogi if baseball is what he really should be doing.
Or maybe they just should have brought Alcantara North and then they could just sent him back down and made this move then and made Carlson what he was sooner. Irrelevant. Which move seems smarter?
I think I saw that movie before and Bill Murray of all actors was in it.
Getting Alcantara 10 games of AAA reps was a smarter decision than having him freeze his tuckus off on the bench and pinch running a couple of times.
My point is he should of been freezing his butt off in RF while alternating with Shaw. He needs MLB AB’s.
Agree brick…in any case the bench just got a lot better also as Shaw/Ballesteros greater than Carlson.
White Sox are kind of down big league OFs at the moment.
I could envision the White Sox making a small trade or an eventual waiver claim for Dylan Carlson over the next week. In either case, it would likely be a short term addition until Sam Antonacci gets enough LF reps at AAA Charlotte before his ultimate promotion to the White Sox.
He also left the game the other day with a collision. They’re also down Hays, Pereira, Baldwin: guys who were all going to get a good amount of time out there.
There is NO reason for the Sox to claim Carlson. Where he is #26 on the Cubs, where would he be on the Sox, #22??? That doesn’t change his ability at all and won’t improve the Sox chances of winning baseball games on the spectrum.
There’s a world where someone will take a chance on him, but he was out there free just a couple of months ago.
Welcome to Philly Dylan
I sometimes forget that Carlson is only 27 years old. As a Cards fan it seems like he has been around forever. Hope he gets some opportunity and does well somewhere. Ryan Ludwick was 29 before really figuring it out and becoming an All-Star(at least for a season or two).
Should’ve been Kingery over Carlson
Splitting hairs plus one less guy to block Alcantara if the chance arises.
KA13 wouldn’t get many chances either. He should’ve made the team when Seiya went down in the WBC. He needs everyday ABs right now and the last two games Michael Confortnite has come through in a big way for the Cubs.
You are right (per usual, Bucket). Now the question is how do Shaw/Ballesteros fit on the line up card? Seiya either has to DH or play right field.
BUT—now you can start a top of the lineup with Hoerner, Busch, Bregman and Seiya and slot all the rest down at least one into more optimal spots….for me 5-8 would be (righties): PCA, Kelly, Ballesteros, Happ, Dansby. Gets them back to the really good 7-8-9 that carried them most of last year. In any case—lineup WAY better with Seiya no matter how you put them.
Note–have hit refresh about 75 times and still no Cub lineup posted on mlb.com as on 11:35.
1. 2B Nico
2. 3B Bregman
3. DH Seiya
4. CF PCA
5. 1B Busch
6. LF Happ/Confortnite
7. SS Swanson
8. C Amaya
9 RF Shaw
this is what my lineup would bex it’s just unfortunate that Mo Baller is gonna lose a few ABs before Seiya is fully ready for RF
Once Seiya is 100% healthy I have have him play RF against RHP and DH against LHP with Ballesteros sitting.
The lineup just came out. Happ is back In LF and batting clean up and Seiya is in RF and Mo is the DH. Kelly at catcher
Mike/Formly—all good by me either way. Formly….just seeing you have five righties in a row makes end of game rougher (2020s baseball vs what the game used to be)
That’s like a bum gazing forlornly into a dumpster and saying he should have chosen the half eaten turkey leg over the remnants of a can of tuna.
Kind of a flip the coin decision between the two. The deciding factor might have been Ian Happ’s health. If Happ would have needed an IL stint for his bruised heel then Dylan Carlson might have won the coin toss. Either way, Scott Kingery will likely be the next position player on the chopping block.
When it comes to health now—all eyes on Jaxon Wiggins.
One doesn’t randomly get pulled from starts a week and a have into a season.
Cubs baby all their minor league P’s no end. Is that good or bad? I have no idea. Case in point Dominick Reid last night threw 5 Shutout innings for M Beach and didn’t have a large Pitch count they take him out new guy gives up a run and they lose 1-0. Another guy who has impressed me no end though is Hartshorn. Power hitter from both sides of the plate and has an great eye. Think he’s walked 4 times on opening day. He doesn’t chase. That’s impressive for a kid just out of HS. Can’t wait to see what team he ends up playing for when Hoyer moves him.
Did Maton exclaim “oh, my knee” like Rodney Dangerfield in Caddyshack?
Maton likely injured his knee while praying that he could remember how to pitch effectively.
Maton – Code name Pressley/Mancini