Update: Chicago Cubs Star Withdraws From WBC With Oblique Injury

Chicago Cubs star Seiya Suzuki has withdrawn from Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic with an injury.

Chicago Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki has withdrawn from the upcoming World Baseball Classic because of tightness in his left oblique.

Suzuki was scheduled to compete for Team Japan.

The Cubs announced Monday night that additional details about his injury would come at a later date.

Suzuki was scratched from the lineup on Saturday and had a magnetic resonance imaging test soon after.

The 28-year-old Suzuki hit .262 last season with 14 home runs and 46 RBI in 111 games.

It’s unclear how long Suzuki will be sidelined. He arrived in Mesa, Ariz., at spring training with about 20 pounds of added muscle.

“He looked really good,’’ Cubs manager David Ross told reporters, referring to the strength Suzuki added during the offseason. ‘‘He worked his tail off to take care of his body, and sometimes things happen. There is some negativity in that, for sure; you want everybody to stay healthy. And if you want to flip it to a positive, we’ve got a lot of games that don’t matter quite yet. And hopefully, whatever the timeline is, we’ll build him up in the right way to get him back on the field as soon as possible.’’

If Suzuki isn’t available by Opening Day, the Cubs have plenty of options to fill in. Trey Mancini and Mike Tauchman are both possibilities, among others.

“I view it as letting things play out and see who stands out,’’ Ross said.

Suzuki is scheduled to meet with the media on Tuesday regarding the injury and his decision. We will update you here as soon as possible. 

Update: Speaking with the media on Tuesday, Suzuki addressed the injury and his withdraw from the competition. 

“It's really unfortunate that it had to come down to this decision,” Suzuki said Tuesday. “I know a lot of people were excited to see me out there playing.”

Manager David Ross refused to put a timeline on Suzuki’s return.

“The goal for us is when he’s back we don’t lose him again,” Ross said. “So pushing it towards some date that we all look forward to doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. We want him to get back completely healthy. If that’s opening day, great. If it’s five days in, great. If it’s two weeks in, fine.”

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