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Just over a year ago, at the 2025 Cubs Convention, Craig Counsell made it clear: Seiya Suzuki was going to be the team\u2019s primary designated hitter. At the time, that announcement raised some eyebrows-not because Suzuki couldn\u2019t hit, but because it signaled a shift in how the Cubs viewed his glove. His defense in right field had been shaky through his first three seasons in Chicago, and with Kyle Tucker arriving via trade from Houston, the writing seemed to be on the wall: Suzuki\u2019s days as an everyday outfielder might be over.<\/p>\n
That context made the move notable. After all, this was a player who\u2019d won the Japanese equivalent of a Gold Glove before coming stateside. And his agent, Joel Wolfe, even went on record saying Suzuki might not have signed with the Cubs at all had he known he\u2019d be taken out of the field.<\/p>\n
But fast forward to the start of 2026 Spring Training, and the narrative has shifted once again. Kyle Tucker is now in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n
Owen Caissie, the Cubs\u2019 top outfield prospect, was shipped to Miami in a deal to bring in right-hander Edward Cabrera. And the designated hitter role?<\/p>\n
That\u2019s shaping up to be Moises Ballesteros\u2019s job to lose. All signs point to Suzuki heading back to right field-and this time, it\u2019s not just a temporary fix.<\/p>\n
On Friday, Counsell made it official: Suzuki is returning to the outfield. And not just occasionally-he\u2019ll be out there regularly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re gonna see him in right field a lot, and I\u2019m looking forward to it,\u201d Counsell told reporters. He also emphasized that Suzuki\u2019s defense was never the issue that some made it out to be. The decision to make him the DH was more about maximizing the roster when Tucker was in town than it was about hiding Suzuki\u2019s glove.<\/p>\n
That confidence from Counsell is backed by the numbers. While Suzuki\u2019s defensive highlights haven\u2019t exactly gone viral for the right reasons, his overall metrics aren\u2019t as dire as the eye test might suggest.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s posted -4 Defensive Runs Saved and -6 Outs Above Average over his MLB career, which places him in the lower tier among right fielders. But that\u2019s not the whole story.<\/p>\n
Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR), which offers a more comprehensive picture of defensive value, paints a more favorable portrait. Suzuki holds a career UZR of 3.2 across nearly 3,000 innings in right.<\/p>\n
That ranks him 12th among all right fielders with at least 1,000 innings since he debuted in 2022. Not elite, but certainly serviceable-especially when you factor in his above-average arm strength.<\/p>\n
And this year, he\u2019ll have some help. Pete Crow-Armstrong, one of the best defensive center fielders in the game, will be covering ground next to him. That kind of elite range in center can mask some of the limitations in right and make life a little easier for Suzuki.<\/p>\n
But let\u2019s be honest: Suzuki\u2019s real value to the Cubs has always been with the bat. He\u2019s one of the team\u2019s biggest power threats, and last season he showed why, launching a career-high 32 home runs. He finished with a .245\/.326\/.478 slash line and a 123 wRC+-numbers that speak to his ability to impact a game even when he\u2019s not scorching hot.<\/p>\n
Interestingly, Suzuki has historically hit better when he\u2019s also playing the field. As a designated hitter, he owns a .253\/.340\/.435 slash line.<\/p>\n
When he\u2019s manning right field, those numbers jump to .278\/.350\/.487. That kind of split suggests that staying engaged on both sides of the ball might actually benefit his offensive rhythm.<\/p>\n
Of course, Counsell isn\u2019t locking Suzuki into right field every single day. The Cubs have built a roster with flexibility in mind, and that includes giving guys rest when needed.<\/p>\n
If Ballesteros gets a day off behind the plate, Suzuki can slide back into the DH spot. If Ian Happ needs a breather in left, Suzuki could shift over.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s also Kevin Alcantara, Chas McCormick, and a handful of minor league outfielders who could break camp with the big club and help rotate through the corners.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s even been talk of Matt Shaw getting some outfield reps, though it remains to be seen how seriously that experiment will be taken once the games start to count.<\/p>\n
Bottom line: the Cubs are giving Suzuki another shot in right field, not because they have to, but because they believe in what he can bring-both at the plate and, yes, in the field. And if he can stay healthy and productive, that belief could pay big dividends in 2026.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
IMAGE: Imagn Images Just over a year ago, at the 2025 Cubs Convention, Craig Counsell made it clear: Seiya Suzuki was going to be the team\u2019s primary… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":153519,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-153532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n
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