Chicago Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki will start the season on the injured list, manager Craig Counsell told reporters Monday.
Suzuki, who strained the posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during the World Baseball Classic, already had been ruled out for Opening Day against the Washington Nationals at Wrigley Field on Thursday.
Suzuki, 31, got hurt in Japan’s 8-5 loss to Venezuela in a World Baseball Classic quarterfinal March 14 in Miami. He walked gingerly to the dugout after a headfirst slide into second base when he was caught stealing in the first inning. Suzuki was replaced in center field after the end of that half-inning.
The 31-year-old returned to the Cubs’ spring training facility Monday, when he was seen walking slowly with a soft brace on the injured knee. Suzuki underwent imaging to determine the extent of the injury.
Suzuki is going into the final season of an $85 million, five-year contract. He has hit .269 with 87 home runs and 296 RBIs in 532 games for the Cubs, including a team-leading 103 RBIs with 32 homers in 2025.
The Cubs are adding veteran Michael Conforto to the 40-man roster ahead of the opener. Conforto was a non-roster invitee to spring training. The 33-year-old hit .273 this spring. Conforto batted just .199 with 12 home runs last season for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In other roster news, Counsell said Ben Brown has made the team and will come out of the bullpen, while Javier Assad will start the season in the rotation for Triple-A Iowa.
Brown, 26, pitched as both a starter and a reliever in 2025, going 5-8 with a 5.92 ERA in 25 appearances (15 starts). He had 121 strikeouts and 32 walks in 106⅓ innings.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
