Mariners notebook: Update on Mike Zunino, roster moves and more

The Mariners return from the All-Star break still without their starting catcher, but it shouldn’t be long before Mike Zunino is back in uniform at Safeco Field.

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Zunino, who has been on the disabled list since injuring his ankle July 4, was expected to return after the break but will instead get at least a couple of games under his belt on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma first.

Manager Scott Servais said Zunino will catch five or six innings Friday and likely serve as Rainiers designated hitter Saturday, after which the team will make a determination on his return to the M’s.

Zunino was mired in a slump at the plate at the time of his injury, hitting just .100 (4 for 40) with 15 strikeouts from June 16 through July 4, so a short stint in Triple-A may help him get his timing back on track.

“We just thought it would be better for him to get a few more at-bats,” Servais said. “Physically he feels good. … As much as we’ve missed him, certainly need him back, also want him to come back and to feel good about where he’s at, having seen some live pitching and get some kind of timing going with the bat instead of just firing him in there.”

Here are some other injury updates, news and notes from the Mariners on Friday.

• Second baseman Dee Gordon and third baseman Kyle Seager have both been playing through similar toe fractures this season. The speedy Gordon “feels really good,” Servais said, with Seager “a little behind him.”

• Felix Hernandez is set to come off the DL to start Saturday against the White Sox, while James Paxton will return from his own DL stint to start Tuesday against San Francisco.

• The Mariners called up first baseman Daniel Vogelbach and outfielder John Andreoli from Triple-A prior to Friday’s game to provide some extra depth on the bench with Hernandez and Paxton’s roster spots open until their respective starts.

• General manager Jerry Dipoto said Friday that pitcher Erasmo Ramirez, who has been out of action with a shoulder injury since late April, is about three weeks from coming back “as part of the equation in some way.” Ramirez was initially penciled in as a member of the Mariners’ starting rotation for this season, but he has gone back and forth between starting and relief roles throughout his career.

• The big news of the day was Servais’ contract extension. You can read more about that here and here.

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