Mariners don’t expect SS Ketel Marte to be out long
May 22, 2016, 9:42 AM | Updated: 3:40 pm
Shortstop Ketel Marte is hitting eighth for the Mariners in his first game back from the disabled list. (AP)
(AP)
CINCINATTI – Ketel Marte, who sprained his thumb sliding into second base Saturday night, has been placed on the 15-day disabled list and Chris Taylor called up to take his place. This is the first loss of an everyday player for the Mariners this year, and with any luck, it shouldn’t be for long.
“Everything indicates it shouldn’t be any longer than 15 days,” manager Scott Servais said Sunday morning. “It’s not as bad as we originally thought. You plan for these things, having guys who can come up and fill a role.”
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And that guy will be Chris Taylor, but not today. Shawn O’Malley gets the start as Servais looks to let Taylor get his legs under him after a night of travel that started in Seattle at 10:30, included a short stop in Charlotte, NC, and ended with his arrival in Cincinnati this morning. He will be available later in the game for pinch-hitting or a double switch if needed.
After a tough spring both at the plate and in the field, Taylor has put up nice numbers in Triple-A Tacoma, with a slash line of .294/.374/.834. He credits the turnaround to a slight mechanical adjustment Rainiers hitting coach Scott Brosius helped him make. Taking new mechanics into spring training didn’t quite go as planned, but hitting is a process and Taylor is happy with the end results.
“I was fighting some old moves, which made it more difficult,” he said. “It’s something you have to work through. The situation I was in, I was competing, there was pressure to play well, that’s all part of it. I had to go through that to get to where I am now and how I feel, I think it was for the best.”
As for Marte, he now has a protective brace on his thumb. It is the second time he has injured his left thumb sliding. Precautions will be taken to help him avoid this in the future.
“He has a protective pad, but I guess he only wears it sometimes,” Servais said. “He will be encouraged to wear it going forward.”
