(670 The Score) As the Cubs begin a six-game West Coast road trip starting Friday night in Los Angeles, they are expecting reinforcements.
Cubs general manager Carter Hawkins told the Bernstein & Holmes Show on Friday that right fielder Seiya Suzuki is expected to rejoin the team this weekend for the series against the Dodgers.
The 28-year-old Suzuki has been recovering from an oblique injury.
“He felt pretty good a couple weeks ago,” Hawkins said. “Really, what we wanted to make sure is that he saw as many pitches as he possibly could, get his timing as good as he possibly can. I still think just relative to what a normal spring training would be, he hasn’t gotten the looks that a player would typically want to get, so he’s probably starting from a little bit behind. But he’s mentally talented and I think that learning curve won’t be pretty steep with him. We felt that lineup with him is a lot better than the alterative.”
Suzuki hit .262 with 14 home runs and 46 RBIs over 111 games last season in his first year with the Cubs.
The Cubs are also anticipating All-Star shortstop Dansby Swanson to return on Friday night after leaving Tuesday’s game with cramping.
The Cubs and Dodgers open a three-game set on Friday night at 9:10 p.m. CT. Left-hander Justin Steele is scheduled to start.
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