The Cubs will give Seiya Suzuki some time to figure things out. That kept him out of the lineup Saturday, and might do so for a little while longer.
Cubs manager David Ross said Suzuki - in the second year of a five-year, $85 million contract - is not in rhythm and the team can see how off he is. Since the All-Star break, Suzuki has slashed 218/.279/.333. On Friday, Suzuki struck out twice in three at-bats.
To get Suzuki in a better place, Ross and the Cubs are planning on having him work through his problems, but not in a game.
“I think he’s beating himself up a little bit, wanting to produce for the guys,” Ross said. “His heart is in the right place; he’s got to get his head in the right place. We’ve got to get his mechanics in the right place and just get him some things just to get him back going.”
As for how long this could last, Ross said “we’ll give him some time” and that Suzuki will be back when they feel like he can help the Cubs win games. In the thick of the race for the NL Central title and a wild-card spot, the Cubs don’t have the luxury of letting Suzuki swing his way out of his slump.
“Some of the other guys are swinging the bat well. We’re really fortunate to have guys that are playing well,” Ross said. “Seiya has been a big part of our success to get to this point, and we need him to be good for us to continue to go where we want to go.”
The Cubs hope Suzuki can do that, and are trying to solve his woes as the pennant race heats up. Just maybe not in the batter’s box against another team.
“It is kind of trial and error,” Ross said. “You do have to get back into competition to gain that confidence to have results and all of those things. But we’re here to support him and we’re going to try to find out what works and it could be a little bit of trial and error but he’s going to put in the work. I promise you that.”
Assad’s chance
Pitcher Marcus Stroman (right hip inflammation) was expected to play catch Saturday but isn’t eligible to return from the injured list until Aug. 16. Without Stroman in the rotation, the Cubs turned to Javier Assad to start against Atlanta.
“I think we still see [Assad] as a really valuable pitcher for us long-term,” Ross said. “He’s filled a really nice role for us and done a good job.”
Entering Saturday, Assad had a 0.40 ERA in nine outings since June 27.