I really don't want to think about Seiya being out a long time
The Cubs' outfield depth is mostly five deep in "guy you don't want in the lineup"
Before we get to making fun of Jameson Taillon, how freaked out should we be that Seiya Suzuki limped into the clubhouse on Monday and the Cubs sent him to get an MRI?
Plenty.
It depends on why they sent him to get the MRI of course. Even a bad doctor (like the ones the Cubs have) can pretty easily diagnose a torn ACL from a hands-on manipulation of the knee. Trainers do it on the field all the time in NFL game. It's why you see players crying on the injury cart with a towel over their heads while a sideline reporter says they're off to get an MRI. The trainer has already told them they tore the ACL.
So, Seiya's MRI could be because his knee was loose enough that they want to find out how badly the ACL is torn and if other ligaments are involved. But it could also be that the ACL is intact and they need the MRI to find out what the hell is wrong with it.
Seiya injured his knee running straight to second base on a steal and diving into the bag. That's not a common way to blow out your ACL, usually it's with some sort of lateral movement. The knee goes too far in one direction and the ligament on the other side gets stretched out of shape.
But hey, these are the Cubs. They're innovative when it comes to figuring out ways to hurt themselves and ruin seasons before they start.
If Seiya is out for a prolonged period of time, say anything from eight weeks to the entire season, his replacement isn't on the roster. None of the non-roster invite detrius in camp (Dylan Carlson, Chas McCormick, Justin Dean, Michael Conforto) is up to the task, and they'll prove that pretty quickly. Matt Shaw is fine if you're cool with a corner outfielder hitting 12 homers and driving in 48 runs.
Would they give Kevin Alcantara a nice long run out there?
