BRENT STECKER

Mariners notebook: Jean Segura healing quickly, Drew Smyly ‘making great progess,’ says Jerry Dipoto

Jun 8, 2017, 5:31 PM | Updated: Jun 9, 2017, 9:33 am

Jean Segura's rehab for a high ankle sprain "has gone exceptionally well," said Jerry Dipoto. (AP)...

Jean Segura's rehab for a high ankle sprain "has gone exceptionally well," said Jerry Dipoto. (AP)

(AP)

LISTEN: Jerry Dipoto on Jean Segura's extension, Mariners injury updates

At least for the time being, the Mariners are getting a break from their string of bad luck this season.

General manager Jerry Dipoto had good news about the rehabilitations of injured players Jean Segura and Drew Smyly during his weekly interview with “Danny, Dave and Moore” on Thursday. Segura, who has been out for a week with a high ankle sprain, isn’t expected to be out the full six to eight weeks those injuries typically take, while Smyly is beginning to ramp up his program coming back from a flexor strain that has kept him out of action since the end of spring training.

Dipoto said Segura, who signed a five-year contract extension on Wednesday with the team, appears to be healing quicker than most with the same injury.

“He is a resilient guy,” Dipoto said. “The diagnosis remains the same, but like the best doctors in the world have always told me, and I’ve had the good fortune of working or speaking with many of them, you treat the patient, not the picture. So while the MRI shows us the high ankle sprain of grade 3, he doesn’t present quite that way. Jean has been walking around, he is out of the boot. His rehab has gone exceptionally well. We don’t think this is gonna be a 10-day turnaround, but we do think that we’re probably gonna be able to cut this time in half and that is super encouraging.”

After Wednesday’s signing, both the Mariners and Segura are anxious for him to be back on the field as soon as possible.

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“Obviously we think a lot of him, as exhibited yesterday, but the idea here is to turn these players around in rehab as quickly as we can while not putting the player in a dangerous position to risk greater injury,” Dipoto said. “Jean has been diligent, he’s been into rehab multiple times a day, and he is intense in his want to come back and play. My guess is we’re gonna see him much sooner than later because of his desire to put the work in and get back out there.”

Regarding Smyly, the young lefty – he turns 28 on June 13 – was able to throw off the mound for the first time Thursday in what manager Scott Servais called a “light bullpen.” Dipoto said the Mariners’ current plan is to have him in the rotation when play resumes after the All-Star break, but added that he’s hopeful the return could happen before the midsummer classic.

“Drew is making great progress. He was shut down for a longer period of time than (other injured Mariners pitchers), just in terms of no-throw, so it was going to take a longer period of time to build back up,” Dipoto said. “We’ve been a little slower and a little more diligent in building up his arm strength and pitch count. He’s done great through the throwing programs and the long toss.”

Notes

• Speaking to the media before Thursday’s game, Servais didn’t rule out a return for OF Mitch Haniger (oblique strain) from the disabled list before the end of Seattle’s homestand on Sunday. Haniger is two games into a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma that is set to last at least two more. “I’d love to get him back here as soon as possible,” Servais said. “I really want the people that are seeing him, eyes on him in Tacoma, to kind of give us thumbs up, go for it. And from him – I wanna hear it from him.”

• RHP Hisashi Iwakuma (shoulder) threw a bullpen Thursday, coming five days after throwing to live batters on the mound at Safeco Field.

• DH Nelson Cruz is out of the lineup for the second straight day with a sore calf. More on that, plus the full lineups for Thursday’s 7:10 series finale between the Mariners and Twins on 710 ESPN Seattle, in this post.

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