Heading into next season, Seiya Suzuki stands as one of the Cubs’ most important — and intriguing — hitters.

He is arguably the most talented hitter on this current Cubs roster. If he can stay healthy and if he can find season-long consistency, he could put together a difference-making offensive season that the Cubs have been missing this year.

Those are two big “if”s, however.

Suzuki has teased that enticing potential and he is once again finishing the season on a very high note.

He was out of the lineup Saturday after getting hit on the wrist with a throw while stealing a base late in Friday’s game.

Over the last month (dating back to Aug. 20), he is hitting .336/.438/.535 (.973 OPS) with 5 homers, 15 RBI and 21 walks in 29 games.

“Seiya’s having a really nice season,” Craig Counsell said after Suzuki had a 2-run homer in Thursday night’s win over the Nationals. “Right now is as good as he’s been for sure. Doing a really nice job – taking good swings, really good at-bats. Trying to just get guys on base when he comes up.”

Suzuki finished last year on a hot stretch and his career production by month looks like this:

March/April: .280 AVG, .850 OPS
May: .255 AVG, .755 OPS
June: .222 AVG, .682 OPS
July: .274 AVG, .788 OPS
August: .284 AVG, .837 OPS
Sept/Oct: .327 AVG, .974 OPS

Unfortunately for Suzuki and the Cubs, he hasn’t been able to parlay that late-season success into the playoffs.

He is working to find a way to carry the late-summer performance into the rest of the season.

“I’m not sure myself either,” Suzuki said through interepter Edwin Stanberry when asked why he has success in the final 2 months. “Realistically, I would want it to happen earlier.”

[WATCH: Seiya Suzuki reflects on his 2024 campaign]

Suzuki actually got off to a very good start this year. He was red-hot in Spring Training and carried that over to the regular season.

He hit .305 with an .893 OPS, 3 homers and 13 RBI in his first 15 games. But a right oblique strain cost him a month from mid-April to mid-May and it took him some time to regain his footing.

Suzuki has had trouble staying healthy in his brief MLB career. He missed the start of last season with an oblique injury and spent more than a month on the IL in 2022 with a finger sprain.

Even when he was healthy last summer, Suzuki endured a prolonged slump at the plate and was actually relgated to bench duty for over a week when the Cubs faced right-handed pitchers.

He played his way back into the lineup in August and finished the 2023 season red-hot.

“The most important thing is being out there,” Suzuki said. “I think that’s helped a lot [this year] is going out there, playing against competition and just getting that experience.”

If the season were to end today, Suzuki’s 2024 stat line looks remarkably similar to his 2023 campaign:

2023: .285/.357/.485 (.842 OPS), 20 HR, 74 RBI, 75 R
2024: .279/.359/.479 (.838 OPS), 21 HR, 71 RBI, 71 R

Those are both very good offensive seasons and underscore Suzuki’s talent if he is able to find that elusive consistency and stay healthy over the course of a full season.

One bright spot for Suzuki this season has been an adjustment to a new role.

In his first 2 years in the majors, Suzuki has played almost exclusively right field with 6 starts at DH.

This year, he has transitioned to the team’s full-time DH over the last couple of months as the Cubs opted for their best defensive lineup – Pete Crow-Armstrong in center and Michael Busch at first base, moving Cody Bellinger to right field.

[MORE: Shota Imanaga, Michael Busch have been success for Cubs – but can that continue in 2025?]

It’s not uncommon to see struggles when players who are used to playing the field every day make the switch to full-time DH. But Suzuki has been able to handle the transition smoothly.

In 54 starts at DH, Suzuki is hitting .288/.371/.451 (.823 OPS) with 8 homers and 24 RBI.

The key? Trying to recreate the same physical feeling as playing the field.

“I focus on not letting my body get cold, keep my heart rate up,” Suzuki said. “When I’m playing the outfield, I’m moving more. So I want to get that same feeling when I’m playing right and then going into the box while I’m DHing. So I get creative with the stuff I’m doing.”

In between at-bats, Suzuki is hopping on the stationary bike, jumping rope, utilizing a medicine ball and sprinting down the hallway leading from the Cubs clubhouse to the dugout.

“Every day, I’m tired,” Suzuki quipped. “I might be more tired than playing right field.”

Physically, Suzuki has found a way to make that adjustment. But the switch mentally from playing the field everyday to DHing can be even more difficult.

“When I was playing right, even if I’m not hitting, I can back it up on defense,” he said. “But when you’re just DHing and you have a bad at-bat or something, I’m still kinda trying to figure that one out.

“It is difficult to adjust next at-bat, try not to bring that in. But it’s a process and still trying to figure that one out.”

Suzuki is under contract with the Cubs for 2 more seasons. If Bellinger opts out of his deal to hit the free-agent market, that could shift Suzuki back to right field full time.

If Bellinger returns or a young prospect like Owen Caissie steps up in the outfield, Suzuki has proven he can serve as the team’s DH in 2025.