Cubs: 3 players who won’t be on the Opening Day roster

Seiya Suzuki will not be on the Cubs Opening Day roster

You don’t a pay a player $85-million to ride the bench, but Seiya Suzuki‘s absence from the Chicago Cubs Opening Day roster has absolutely nothing to do with the outfielder’s performance.

Suzuki has been sidelined all spring with an oblique injury. For those unfamiliar, those are not easy to overcome and it’s going to take some time. However, recent reports suggest that Suzuki could return to the Cubbies lineup sooner than anticipated.

Suzuki broke onto the scene as a rookie with the Cubs last season. Suzuki was Chicago’s Opening Day right fielder last season and had a solid rookie season with a slash line of .262/.336/.433 and 14 home runs.

Seiya Suzuki is expected to be out of the lineup until at least mid-April, but it could be longer depending on the rehab process. On thing is for sure, don’t look for Suzuki to be roaming the outfield grass at Wrigley Field on Opening Day. Instead, Michael Tauchman and perhaps Trey Mancini will be receiving Suzuki’s reps in right field.

The Cubs head into the 2023 with most outlets projecting a below-.500 season and third-place finish in the NL Central. While these three players are unlikely to be part of Chicago’s Opening Day roster, it’s a good bet that all three will make an impact at some point this season.