Cubs place Seiya Suzuki on IL as final spring training roster cuts are underway

The impression over the weekend was that Seiya Suzuki was trending towards opening the season on the IL. Suzuki is recovering from a PCL sprain suffered during the World Baseball Classic, and Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell confirmed over the weekend that he wasn't going to be ready in time for Opening Day. That reality was confirmed on Monday as the Cubs placed Suzuki on the IL as they got underway with their final wave of spring training roster cuts.

The Cubs placed Seiya Suzuki on IL as the final wave of Opening Day roster moves has started

Even though Opening Day is Thursday, the Cubs can place Suzuki on the IL with an effective date of Wednesday, March 25. That would allow Suzuki to miss the least amount of time. Along those lines, Counsell revealed that the expectation is for Suzuki to join the Cubs during their first road trip of the regular season. The trip starts with an April 3 game against the Cleveland Guardians.

The expectation is that Matt Shaw will be the primary right fielder in Suzuki's place. Veteran outfielder Michael Conforto has already been informed that he will be on the Cubs' Opening Day roster, and former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson is also expected to break camp with the club.

There still seems to be some debate about who takes Suzuki's roster spot. As the Cubs finalize their Opening Day roster, they are scouring the waiver wire for an extra infielder and haven't ruled out adding to their pitching depth. With Shaw expected to make regular starts in Suzuki's absence, there could be some value in the Cubs adding an infielder to their roster at the start of the season.

In addition to Suzuki being placed on the IL, the Cubs have optioned Javier Assad to Triple-A Iowa. Over the past two years, Assad has been an ideal Swiss Army knife for the Cubs' pitching staff, demonstrating an ability to have success in both the rotation and bullpen.

What worked against Assad this spring is the fact that he has two minor-league options. An instance where the business elements of the game are actively working against a player. Assad is more than deserving of being on the major league roster, but the Cubs' major league staff is filled with pitchers who can't be optioned.

As for the final spot in the bullpen, all signs continue to point to Ben Brown landing that role.