BRENT STECKER

Notebook: Mariners pump the brakes on Drew Smyly’s rehab

Jun 27, 2017, 5:05 PM

Drew Smyly won't throw a second sim game Wednesday like originally planned. (AP)...

Drew Smyly won't throw a second sim game Wednesday like originally planned. (AP)

(AP)

Drew Smyly made a big step forward in his recovery from a left elbow flexor bundle strain over the weekend, but he may be taking another one back.

Smyly, the promising left-handed starter the Mariners acquired over the offseason but have yet to see pitch in the regular season, was originally slated to throw a simulated game on Wednesday, but that has been postponed. It would have been the second time Smyly had thrown to live hitters since suffering his injury in spring training – the first being a sim game on Saturday – but for now that will have to wait.

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Seattle manager Scott Servais didn’t have much to share on Smyly’s condition before Tuesday’s series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies, but his comments indicated that Smyly experienced some sort of setback.

“He’s doing OK. Kinda day-to-day right now,” Servais said. “I’m not that concerned about it.”

The 28-year-old Smyly is a six-year MLB veteran, having spent three seasons each with Detroit and Tampa Bay. The Mariners picked him up in a trade with the Rays in January, hoping he would bounce back after posting a career-high 4.88 ERA in 30 games in 2016. His performance in the World Baseball Classic for Team USA and in spring training raised those hopes, only for him to land on the disabled list with a last-minute injury just before the team broke camp.

Notes

• Expect to see closer Edwin Diaz in action either Tuesday or Wednesday for Seattle regardless of how close the games against the Phillies are. He pitched in four games straight from June 18-21, but he hasn’t thrown since, and Servais said the hard-throwing righty is due to get into a game. “Definitely one of the next two days. There’s no doubt he needs to get out there and pitch an inning,” Servais said.

• Danny Valencia and Ben Gamel are both back in the Mariners lineup for Tuesday’s series opener against Philadelphia after missing time over the weekend for minor ailments. More on that, plus the full lineups for both teams, in this post.

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