Cubs suffer another major early-season setback they really can't afford

The Chicago Cubs are thriving in the early goings of the 2024 season. The team is just 1.5 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers and Pittsburgh Pirates for first place in the NL Central division. This comes after they lost two of their starting pitchers in Jameson Taillon and Justin Steele. That's impressive, and the Cubs are going to see Taillon make his season debut shortly. Meanwhile, Steele is still sidelined due to a Grade 1 left hamstring strain suffered on Opening Day.

Chicago's bats are contributing to the team's success, with rookie Michael Busch hitting home runs on a daily basis. But the Cubs will be without one of their big contributors.

On Monday, the Cubs announced that they have placed outfielder Seiya Suzuki on the 10-day injured list due to a right oblique strain. ESPN's Jeff Passan notes that Suzuki suffered a similar injury last year, but to his left side, and he was sidelined for around six weeks.

Seiya Suzuki placed on injured list due to right oblique strain

This is the news that the Cubs could have done without. Seeing the six-week recovery timeline from last season will sure scare Chicago fans. But this stings even more because Suzuki is legitimately having a great third season with the Cubs.

Through 15 games, Suzuki leads the Cubs with 11 runs, 13 RBI, and 18 hits. Besides that, Suzuki recorded a .305 batting average, a .368 on-base percentage, a .525 slugging percentage, and three home runs.

Losing a top hitter is brutal for any team. If there is anything that softens the blow, it's that it is still very early in the season, and Suzuki could return down the line. They will have to hope that they can keep their ground in what has become a tough NL Central division alongside the Cincinnati Reds, Brewers, and Pirates. That, and Busch, Cody Bellinger, and Christopher Morel keep up the pace.