Notebook: With Mitch Haniger back soon, Mariners about to have good problem in OF

“It’s a good problem to have” is a common adage used in baseball, and the Seattle Mariners are on the verge of having the chance to say exactly that.

With Mitch Haniger possibly returning to the team from the disabled list as soon as Saturday, and the three regular outfielders that have played in his absence – Ben Gamel, Guillermo Heredia and Jarrod Dyson – all performing well, manager Scott Servais is about to have a wealth of options at his disposal.

Haniger was Seattle’s best offensive player in April, hitting .342 with four home runs, seven doubles, a triple, 16 RBIs and a 1.054 OPS in 21 games before suffering his injury. Servais said he’ll be returning more or less to the role of regular right fielder when he comes back from his rehab assignment from Triple-A Tacoma. That could wrap up Friday night, when he’s scheduled to play a full nine innings in right field, though the team will evaluate him after the game and determine whether he needs to remain with the Rainiers for another day.

Whenever Haniger returns, though, he’s the least likely of Seattle’s quartet to not get regular playing time.

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“He was a pretty good player when he was healthy for us,” Servais said. “We’re not gonna mess with (Haniger being the regular right fielder) too much. I think that’s the plan, understanding that he’s still gonna need a day off here or there. We’re gonna be smart with doing that, and I think we’ve got the depth now to be able to do that.”

That depth will also give Servais an ability to combat pitching matchups more regularly when Haniger is in the lineup, something afforded to him by the fact that all four outfielders are good defenders.

“Getting (Haniger) back out there, it allows us to kinda mix and match with the other guys,” Servais said. “Everybody has played well. Dyson’s been phenomenal defensively, offensively some nights better than others. The two young guys, Gamel and Heredia, have been more consistent offensively. I think looking at matchups … it’s a good problem to have.”

Seattle is also helped out by the fact that two of the outfielders hit right-handed, while the other two swing from the left side. Lefty Gamel figures to still see a lot of action against righties, as he boasts a slash line of .333/.416/.454 as well as 16 walks in 126 plate appearances.

“He’s been awesome. His on-base percentage against right-handed pitching is close to .420. That’s a phenomenal number for a young player,” Servais said. “He’s been very consistent. I think the one thing about Ben’s game, he’s a very good situational hitter. You’ve seen multiple times, getting a sac fly, moving guys over, and he’s done a really good job with that.”

Heredia, who swings right-handed, is a bit of the inverse of Gamel, owning a slash line of .327/.386/.442 against southpaws. Dyson, meanwhile, hasn’t hit all that well in 2017, but he brings plenty of value as the best fielder of all four and the fastest player on Seattle’s roster.

“It’s a good rotation to have,” Servais said. “I feel comfortable playing those guys.”

Notes

• After Seattle’s relievers had another strong outing in Thursday’s 2-1 loss to the Twins, Servais made sure to give his bullpen praise for its role in the Mariners’ recent hit streak. “Our bullpen’s been outstanding. They’ve been as big a part of this turnaround as anything, just to keep the leads, and even last night’s game, they come in, they throw four zeroes up there. They really gave us a chance to come back. Just didn’t get the big hit last night, but they’ve been outstanding.”

• RHP Hisashi Iwakuma (shoulder) came out of his 50-pitch bullpen session Thursday with a smile on his face. “It felt much better. The ball’s coming out of his hand better,” Servais said. The veteran starter is set to throw a simulated game Sunday, which could be the final step before he goes out on a rehab assignment.

• DH Nelson Cruz is back in the lineup for Friday’s 7:10 game against the Blue Jays on 710 ESPN Seattle. He missed the past two games with a calf injury. You can read more about Cruz and see the lineups for Friday’s game in this post.

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