Cubs News: Seiya Suzuki begins 'light' baseball activities in Arizona

After showing up to spring training noticeably bulked up, Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki suffered an oblique injury that has already cost him a chance to be in the Opening Day lineup.

The moderate left oblique strain he suffered in late Feb. tossed cold water on folks envisioning a monster breakout season from Suzuki - but the latest update on the outfielder gives us at least a hint of optimism.

He's in really good spirits. He's in there every day working his program. He's doing a ton. The workouts have been progressing as well. He's been able to stay in shape in that way and he'll start to ramp up.

Cubs will take it slow with Seiya Suzuki's rehab process

Suzuki has begun doing dry swings and playing catch at the team's facility in Arizona. Now, there's a chasmic gap between dry swings and catch and being game-ready, but it's at least encouraging that he's at least inching his way in the right direction. Oblique injuries are one of those ailments that can really linger - so you can expect Chicago to take things slow with the 28-year-old.

After signing a five-year, $85 million deal prior to the 2022 season, Suzuki got off to a blistering start, winning National League Rookie of the Month honors in April before cooling off and battling through a finger injury. When he got back later in the year, he got hot again after making some adjustments, finishing the year with 2.0 bWAR and a .262/.336/.433 slash line.

For the time being, the Cubs look likely to go with an Ian Happ, Cody Bellinger and Trey Mancini combination in the outfield, leaving Eric Hosmer as the main presence at first base. We could also see Patrick Wisdom get some reps in right, along with guys like Mike Tauchmann, who seems likely to crack the Opening Day roster.