Cubs' Seiya Suzuki thriving in first full spring training

MESA, Ariz. — Seiya Suzuki returned to the dugout after his second home run of the game Saturday, and Cubs manager Craig Counsell told him he was done for the day.

Might as well leave on a high note after going 3-for-3 with three RBI against the Royals.

“I feel like I’m getting better day by day after every spring-training game that I play,” Suzuki said through interpreter Toy Matsushita. “I do have some reflections after each game, and I feel like I’ve been able to make those adjustments, even having a better performance in my next games.”

Those comments undersold Suzuki’s spring-training production. He’s hitting .440 with a 1.401 OPS. While results this time of year aren’t predictive of regular-season performance, it is important that Suzuki is finally getting a normal ramp up to the regular season. With 10 Cactus League games under his belt, he has surpassed his totals the previous two years.

In 2022, he signed with the Cubs in mid-March and played seven spring-training games before his debut. The next season, he strained his left oblique before the Cubs’ Cactus League opener and missed all of spring training.

“I feel really good,” he said. “There’s no injuries that are bothering me right now, and I’ve been able to focus on my game, so I’m really, really excited for what’s ahead.”

Suzuki took a more aggressive approach, the same one that contributed to his success late last season, into this spring. And it has seemed to have a similar effect.

“But I feel like I need to work on my reactions when I whiff and when I take those balls,” Suzuki said. “And those are the things that I want to start working on tomorrow. And hopefully I can make those adjustments by next game.’

Lefty reliever?

While the Cubs could begin the season with four left-handers in the rotation, their lefty reliever depth is running thin.

“A lefty is extremely valuable to have in the bullpen,” pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said Saturday. “I also think you kind of negate some of it when you have a lot of lefties in the rotation because that’s going to change some lineups and things like that. We focus more on, how can we make our pitchers the best, most well-rounded pitchers they can be, to be able to navigate lineups that way.”

If Drew Smyly begins the season in the rotation, rookie Luke Little is the only left-handed reliever on the 40-man roster.

“Luke Little’s looked fantastic,” Hottovy said. “We saw Luke come up and do some really good things last year, and he took it upon himself to stay focused this offseason and come into spring in a really good place.”

The Cubs also have a trio of left-handed non-roster invitees in Edwin Escobar, Richard Lovelady and Thomas Pannone. The Cubs would have to clear a 40-man roster spot to add any of them to the Opening Day roster.

High-profile backfields

Lefty Justin Steele is pitching in a minor-league game Sunday, Hottovy said, instead of facing the Rangers a week and a half before he takes the Globe Life Field mound against them on Opening Day.

On Wednesday, starters Shota Imanaga and Jordan Wicks also will throw in minor-league games but for a different reason.

“We want to build their pitch counts up in a more controlled environment,” Hottovy said. “And then we have a bunch of relievers that are going to pitch in the game that night anyway, so it’s kind of a good way to build that.”

Cubs 7, Royals 6

Cubs starter Drew Smyly surrendered five runs in 4„ innings. The runs scored on a three-run homer by MJ Melendez in the third inning and a two-run shot by Cam Devanney in the fifth. “The positive is, I feel like my tempo and mechanics have been really good,” Smyly said. “And then to take a negative out of it, I’ve got to get my curveball’s shape more consistent and dial in because that’s going to be my best pitch.”

• The Cubs’ offense made quite the statement in the first inning. Seiya Suzuki, Cody Bellinger and Yan Gomes hit back-to-back-to-back home runs, all dropping souvenirs onto the left-field berm. The three solo shots gave the Cubs an early 3-0 lead. Both Suzuki and Gomes homered twice in the game.

• Reliever Jose Cuas gave the Cubs (13-8-2) length. He threw 1‰ scoreless innings. He gave up just one hit but issued two walks.

• On deck: Rangers at Cubs, 3:05 p.m. Sunday, Mesa, Marquee, 670-AM, Jose Ureña vs. Javier Assad.