David Ross made no secret of his excitement in seeing Seiya Suzuki return to the Cubs lineup.

“I’m really looking forward to getting him back,” Ross said Wednesday afternoon with a smile. “We’ve missed him.”

Suzuki is one step closer to stepping back onto a major league field. The team announced Wednesday that Suzuki would be heading out on a rehab assignment beginning Thursday in Iowa. The Iowa Cubs are playing the Columbus Clippers this week in Des Moines. 

“We’ve got a plan laid out,” Ross said. “Just get him back in playing shape is what’s important. Trying to get his legs underneath him, run the bases, be able to react in the outfield just like everybody else, get some real feedback from some game experience.”

He hasn’t played in a game since May 26, when he suffered a sprained left ring finger. He spent time at the Cubs complex in Arizona last week and had a live batting practice against Marcus Stroman and Drew Smyly Tuesday at Wrigley Field. Ross said Suzuki felt good after that.

Now, the Cubs hope to see Suzuki fine-tune his timing and provide a boost to the Cubs offense. But, they’re going to take their time with Suzuki — they don’t want to rush him back.

“I think we’ll take it and listen to him,” Ross said. “Being on your feet, getting back in playing shape is different for everybody so we’ve got a plan. Sometimes we have to extend those plans, sometimes we can shorten them.”

Other injury notes

• Jason Heyward’s right knee is still bothering him — the Cubs will make a decision on whether or not an IL stint is needed “soon.”
• Stroman and Smyly will throw bullpen sessions later this week — similar to their normal between-starts work.
• Nick Madrigal (left groin strain) hit on the field Wednesday and is building up his running progression. He was placed on the 10-day IL on June 12.
• Frank Schwindel (low back strain) is “starting to get to some baseball activity here real soon,” per Ross.