Mariners SS Ketel Marte injures thumb; move could be imminent
May 21, 2016, 7:29 PM | Updated: 9:24 pm
CINCINATTI – We will find out Sunday morning if Ketel Marte will be placed on the DL after spraining his thumb sliding headfirst into second base in the Mariners’ 4-0 win over the Reds Saturday. We do know he will be out for at least a few days.
“The X-ray, nothing broken but it’s pretty sore and we have got to make a decision on whether or not he is going to make a DL or not,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said after Saturday’s game. “We have to make a pretty quick call on that, he’s gong to miss a few days. That’s the downside of today.”
The upside for Marte is this does not appear to be as serious as the thumb injury he suffered last year that sidelined him for over a month. In the clubhouse after the game, with no tape or ice on the injured thumb, Marte said he was confident this injury was not as severe.
“I think I will be out for a couple of days, not like last year,” Marte said. “I feel a little bit hurt now, but that’s part of the game.”
That is not exactly how he felt immediately after the slide. Marte said the thumb was put in a “bad position,” bent back as he came into the bag. The pain was severe. When he stole third base moments later, he told third base coach Manny Acta that he thought he broke it again. Fortunately nothing came up on the X-ray, and Marte admitted that it did feel a bit better following the game.
While no move has been announced as of yet, Chris Taylor was pulled from the Rainiers’ starting lineup minutes after Marte was taken out of the Mariners’ game. While Luis Sardinas would be the option the Mariners would go to if a replacement was needed long term at shortstop, he has not yet been down for the required 10 days since being optioned to Triple-A for the Mariners to be able to bring him back without a player being placed on the DL.
The Mariners could choose to go with Shawn O’Malley on Sunday and not make any moves, but Servais prefers not to play short in a National League park. If the trainers examine Marte on Sunday morning and determine that he will not miss more than a few days, then another player could be optioned and Taylor added to the roster.
We will learn more Sunday morning.
