It’s another round of rotations through the injured list for the Seattle Mariners. Monday, they placed their righty-hitting platoon for right field and/or designated hitter on the 10-day IL, sidelining OF Rob Refsnyder with issues in both knees. In his place is the newly acquired 3B/1B/cOF Buddy Kennedy. The club has acknowledged Refsnyder having battled through injury to some degree, however, unfortunately, he has been notoriously, unable to muster productivity in any way. The issue for Refsnyder appears to be a lingering one more than something easily healed, which has been the club’s reasoning for attempting to manage and work through his health, however it’s clear only so many injuries could be managed at once. He received injections in both knees last week, however he has not progressed and will rehab in Arizona to try and find his way back that is less painful.
To that end, the club also provided updates on several dinged up and injured M’s. OF Luke Raley and OF Dominic Canzone will remain active, with Raley dealing with a strain in his left (non-throwing) arm that he has demonstrated the ability to swing through and perhaps even return to right field with in a few days. Similarly, Canzone is playing through tightness in his hamstring which will curtail his capacity to play in the field. Canzone’s situation seems a bit more similar to Jorge Polanco a season ago at times, where the lefty’s bat is too valuable to take out of the M’s lineup but requires management to avoid aggravation. Connor Joe is present but not activated, should Seattle need to make a change pregame or in this series.
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Further out, General Manager Justin Hollander offered an impassioned defense of the caliber and efforts of Seattle’s training staff, while also providing updates on several sidelined M’s. Both RHPs Matt Brash and Cooper Criswell are likely to return in “August” per Hollander, with MRIs scheduled for July 6th to track if their healing process is on the expected track. UTIL Brendan Donovan “had a good week” which included running at near full effort and a full run through the batting cage, but it does not sound as though his return is coming until August or later.
Asked about the M’s tendency to keep injured players on the roster this year instead of giving guys full injured list stints, Hollander noted their calculation has ultimately been in a belief and assessment that players can, on a case-by-case basis, return or be effective in the shortened time provided relative to their options for longer time sidelined on the IL.
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