The Chicago Cubs will be without one of their top sluggers for an extended period to start the season.

Seiya Suzuki will start the season on the injured last, Cubs manager Craig Counsell announced on Monday.

Counsell also announced that right-handed starter Javier Assad was optioned to triple-A.

Assad, 28, recored a 3.65 ERA with 23 strikeouts and 12 walks over 37 innings last season after missing the majority of it due to an oblique strain.

Suzuki sustained his injury, a ligament strain in his right knee, while playing for Japan in the World Baseball Classic.

The 31-year-old outfielder and designated hitter 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 centre field after the end of that half-inning.

Suzuki returned to the Cubs’ spring training facility on 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.

He finished second on the North Siders with 32 home runs, had a team-high 103 RBI and slashed .245/.326/.478 in his fourth MLB season in 2025.

The absence will undoubtedly be a blow to the power-potential of the Cubs lineup to open the season. Chicago also lost star outfielder Kyle Tucker to free agency in the off-season, but added Alex Bregman at third base.

Suzuki is going into the final season of an $85 million, five-year contract. He has hit .269 with 87 home runs and 296 RBI in 532 games for the Cubs.

— With files from The Associated Press