Seattle Mariners Get Poor Injury Updates on a Pair of Players
In this story:
The Seattle Mariners, mired in a 17-18 start and tied for third place in the American League West, got poor health reports on a pair of players on Tuesday.
Star reliever Andres Munoz, on the injured list since the beginning of April, is not ready for a rehab stint. He was supposed to be out close to the 10-day minimum but will end up missing well more than a month.
Also, first baseman Evan White, who won the Gold Glove in the 2020 season is undergoing yet another surgery; this will be a second one on his left hip.
Lets start with Munoz, as Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times tweets:
"Munoz had a PRP shot in his shoulder last week. And he won't be ready to go out on a rehab until the end of the month."
Divish added that after his last bullpen, Munoz had an MRI which revealed some inflammation. He had been on the IL for a deltoid strain.
He burst onto the scene last year, pitching in 64 games and registering a 2.49 ERA. He struck out 96 batters in just 65 innings as the Mariners went to the playoffs for the first time since 2001. The Mariners could really use him at the back end of the bullpen as they are relying on little known relievers like Justin Topa and Trevor Gott currently.
As for White, this is another setback in what has been a career full of frustrations.
He was already on the 60-day injured list for an adductor issue and was expected to miss two months. This latest procedure will now cause him to miss three months, meaning he won't be back until August at the earliest.
White played just two games with Triple-A Tacoma before getting injured again this year.
A first-round pick 2017 out of the University of Kentucky, White was expected to be a major part of the Mariners rebuild. He signed a six-year contract worth $24 million before ever playing a major league game. The contract included three option years as well.
He played 54 games in the COVID-shortened 2020 season and won the gold glove at first base in the American League.
He started the 2021 season as the cleanup hitter for the Mariners but played just 30 games and eventually missed the rest of the season with a hip flexor injury.
He underwent surgery for a sports hernia in March of 2022 and was pulled multiple times from rehab assignments. He came into 2023 with optimism and started the year at AAA, only to suffer these latest setbacks.
The Mariners take on the first-place Texas Rangers in an American League West battle tonight. First pitch is scheduled for 9:40 from T-Mobile Park as George Kirby pitches against Andrew Heaney. The Rangers won last night, 2-1.
Follow Fastball on FanNation in social media
Continue to follow our Fastball on FanNation coverage on social media by LIKING us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.
You can also subscribe to "The Payoff Pitch" podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
