The Japanese interpreter of Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki was dismissed by the team prior to Friday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Interpreter Toy Matsushita had been with the organization since Suzuki’s arrival in 2022.
“Essentially we just made the decision moving forward that we could be in a good spot without Toy,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “We’ve built a pretty good support system around Seiya with some other people that can just move the situation forward, and nothing will really change.”
Counsell said the decision to move on from Matsushita did not have to do with getting more out of Suzuki, who is on pace for a career-low .334 on-base percentage.
Cubs staffers Nao Masamoto and Edwin Stanberry will work with Suzuki in Matsushita’s place, according to a report from The Athletic.
Matsushita’s dismissal comes one month after Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter of Shohei Ohtani, pleaded guilty in federal court to bank and tax fraud for stealing nearly $17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers star’s bank account.
Also on Friday, the Cubs activated outfielder Mike Tauchman from the 10-day injured list and selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Jesús Tinoco from Triple-A Iowa. They optioned outfielder Alexander Canario to Iowa and moved left-hander Jordan Wicks (oblique) to the 60-day injured list.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.