Chicago Cubs camp report: Seiya Suzuki to start the season on IL, while prospect Brennen Davis is sent to Iowa
The Chicago Cubs continue to weigh the best right-field option to fill in short term for Seiya Suzuki.
Suzuki will start the season on the injured list because of his left oblique strain, a source told the Tribune, with a best-case scenario, involving no setbacks, setting up a return sometime in April.
Suzuki is progressing through his mobility work. Although pain-free, he is still feeling tightness in his oblique and has not achieved full range of motion. Once he clears that point, the Cubs will likely re-image his oblique to see how it looks, and if it appears OK, Suzuki would move on to baseball activities.
The Cubs cut camp to 56 players before Friday’s 4-3 loss to the White Sox, sending 10 players to minor-league camp.
Outfielders Brennen Davis and Alexander Canario were optioned to Triple-A Iowa. Right-handers Ben Brown and Ryan Jensen, and catcher Miguel Amaya were optioned to Double-A Tennessee. Outfielder Kevin Alcántara has been optioned to High-A South Bend. Outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and right-handers Danis Correa, Jordan Holloway and Ben Leeper were reassigned. The affiliate players were optioned to are not necessarily reflective of where they will report for the start of the season.
Mike Tauchman again got the start in right field Friday. Tauchman is among eight players who can play in the outfielder, and one of two non-roster invitees along with Ben DeLuzio, left in big-league camp. He is firmly in the right-field mix in Suzuki’s absence.
Much-needed at-bats await Brennen Davis at Triple A
Brennen Davis needs more playing time in the minors.
That was the essence of team President Jed Hoyer’s message during his conversation with Davis on Friday when the 23-year-old outfielder was optioned to Triple-A Iowa.
“It was just, hey, you’re healthy, go down and get the reps you lost last year,” Hoyer said. “It was really pretty simple.”
Davis’ back ailment and subsequent surgery limited him to only 53 games and 214 plate appearances in 2022. Even beyond the past season, Davis has barely played a year’s worth of games since 2019, recording 630 PAs over 153 games. Entering Friday, Davis appeared in nine Cactus League games. He went 3-for-13 with two doubles, three walks, three strikeouts and an RBI.
“All that matters with Brennen is he’s healthy,” Hoyer said. “He looks great, playing great defense, running around well. He just needs reps. We weren’t able to get him full-strength reps at the end of the season.”
Cubs optimistic Alexander Canario will play this season
Alexander Canario’s journey to get back in a game is still being measured in months, not weeks.
In early November, Canario underwent two surgeries to repair a fractured left ankle and dislocated left shoulder after awkwardly hitting first base during a Dominican winter league game.
Canario’s shoulder rehab is currently ahead of his left ankle’s progression. Once minor-league camp breaks later this month for the affiliates’ seasons, Canario will remain in Mesa to continue rehabbing. Hoyer said Canario, who turns 23 in May, still has a ways to go.
“He’s such a great kid,” Hoyer said. “He’s in good spirits grinding through this rehab. … He’s done a good job with it.”
The Cubs aren’t putting a timeline on Canario’s return. There is optimism he will be back at some point in second half of the minor-league season, which would set him up to potentially play in the Arizona Fall League or winter ball where he can get more at-bats. As he enters his final minor-league option year, Canario’s 2022 performance positioned him to be an early-season call-up this year if not for the fluky winter ball injury.
Davis’ and Canario’s injuries are yet another reminder of the value of organizational depth and how injuries can quickly gut it.
Pete Crow-Armstrong leaves lasting impression
Pete Crow-Armstrong’s locker in the Cubs spring clubhouse had been situated near Ian Happ’s and Nico Hoerner’s for a reason.
The Cubs wanted him close to their two returning leaders for the duration of his time in big-league camp, his first with the organization, which ended Friday morning when he was reassigned to minor-league camp.
“I thought he totally maximized his exposure to those guys and really took that to heart,” Hoyer said. “I think when any guy in their first camp or first exposure to it, I think he learned a lot. In a lot of ways, we weren’t looking for results as opposed to get your feet wet, get exposure to this and probably learn some hard lessons. Then go down and work on it.
“He’s got a bright future but has things to work on in the meantime.”
Crow-Armstrong’s stellar defense this spring has earned rave reviews. The offensive part of his game remains a work-in-progress, something Hoyer isn’t trying to evaluate this spring. Improving his swing decisions will be part of Crow-Armstrong’s focus this season.
“He’s up there being aggressive all the time and he’s on a big stage (in camp) trying to do a lot,” Hoyer said. “He’s certainly shown in the minor leagues he can hit.”
Cubs need to find out what they have in Miguel Amaya
Amaya’s injury history and lack of minor-league options remaining beyond this season puts him at a critical juncture with his future in the organization.
Amaya, who is coming back from a Lisfranc injury, did not appear in a Cactus League game before the Cubs optioned him to minor-league camp Friday. The Cubs need to get a look at Amaya, 24, in the big leagues at some point in 2023 to determine his fit. Staying healthy is a must as injuries have limited him to 63 minor-league games since 2019.
The Cubs want him to get as many at-bats and innings behind the plate as possible in the minors. Barring an early-season emergency call-up situation as the only other catcher on the 40-man roster behind Yan Gomes and Tucker Barnhart, a second-half call-up is not out of the question for Amaya.
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