Cubs activate Seiya Suzuki, place Dansby Swanson on IL with right knee sprain originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

Ahead of their first meeting of the season against the division rival Pittsburgh Pirates, the Chicago Cubs have made a pair of roster moves involving two of the biggest names on the roster.

After suffering an oblique injury that followed a torrid start to the season, the Cubs are activating right fielder Seiya Suzuki from the injured list, who will get back into action for the first time in nearly a month, the club announced Friday.

In a corresponding roster move, the Cubs are placing All-Star shortstop Dansby Swanson on the 10-day injured list with a right knee sprain, with the placing being retroactive to May 8, meaning Swanson will be eligible to return on May 18.

The Cubs will greatly welcome Suzuki’s bat back into the lineup, who hit at a .305 clip with three home runs and four doubles across 15 games prior to his injured list stint.

As for Swanson, the IL placement comes on the heels of a particularly slow start to the season.

Swanson, 30, is slashing .209/.285/.341 in 37 games with the Cubs so far this year, totaling eight extra-base hits and four stolen bases.

After hitting for a league average 100 OPS+ in his All-Star and Gold Glove 2023 campaign, Swanson has managed just a 77 OPS+ thus far in 2024.

The 22-16 Cubs kick off a three-game set in Pittsburgh Friday night against the Pirates, with first pitch slated for 5:40 p.m. local time.