Cubs Star Seiya Suzuki Exits Game With Injury at World Baseball Classic

The Chicago Cubs may have caught a huge break.

Chicago Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

The Chicago Cubs had a collective panic on Saturday night when star outfielder Seiya Suzuki was removed from Team Japan's World Baseball Classic semifinal game against Team Venezuela.

Suzuki limped off the field in the first inning after being caught stealing second base and was taken out with what was later described as right knee discomfort. As of Sunday morning, there had not been any new news, but Shohei Ohtani broke down the injury after the game and sounded like he was not too concerned with his fellow countryman after speaking with him on the bench.

Seiya Suzuki limped off the field after getting caught stealing to end the first inning

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"He hasn't had any imaging done yet so right now it's just based on how he feels," Ohtani said via Bob Nightengale of USA Today. "I'm just hoping it turns out to be something positive and that it won't affect his season."

Cubs will eagerly await further update on Suzuki

While it does not sound like Suzuki is out of the woods yet by any means, his being able to stay on the bench and watch the rest of the game with his teammates is an encouraging sign that he avoided anything catastrophic.

Gleyber Torres (25) tags out Japan center fielder Seiya Suzuki | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Team Japan's WBC is now over after their loss on Saturday, so Suzuki will likely return to Mesa for further evaluation, where it will be revealed whether he'll lose out on any time this upcoming season. Given how impressive he has been over the last year and this spring, it would be a brutal blow to the lineup.

The Cubs will have to weather the storm if he does miss time, but replacing his production would not be a small task for Chicago.

Where Cubs Would Turn if Suzuki Misses Time

Chicago Cubs third baseman Matt Shaw | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

While Suzuki had just a couple of at-bats for Chicago before heading off to the WBC, he had a home run and two hits in two games before slashing .333/.600/1.000 for Japan in his four games played.

This is on the heels of arguably his best career season, where he hit 32 home runs with 103 RBI ahead of his final campaign under contract for the Cubs this year. Should he miss time, Chicago has a couple of options.

The most likely may be youngster Matt Shaw, who steps into a utility role after losing his spot at third and has had a very strong spring offensively. Other possibilities include guys like Michael Conforto and Kevin Alcantara, each of whom has shown some flashes in camp.

Regardless, even if Suzuki does miss time, it sounds like he should be back on the field in the very near future.