Mariners Notebook: Moore out ‘at least a couple weeks,’ WBC guys return

The news could have been worse, but it certainly wasn’t good for Dylan Moore or the Mariners as a MRI showed a mild Grade 1 strain of his left oblique.

“It’s going to be 2-4 weeks before he gets it cranked up again,” said Mariners manager Scott Servais Friday afternoon. “Very disappointing, but that’s where we are at.”

“It’s very disappointing,” Servais added. “It’s going to be at least a couple of weeks down before he can start swinging aggressively, and then you have got to build up from there. The fact that he hasn’t had spring training yet, I don’t know when we will see him. We will know more in a couple of weeks.”

Moore himself was trying to keep at bay the disappointment of knowing he will not start the season with the team.

“Overall, I think it’s a decent thing we caught this thing before it was something worse,” he said. “Obviously frustrated, you know, about the timing and everything, but I’m just trying to stay positive and get this thing cleared up.”

Moore, who underwent a core surgery Dec. 6, had been cleared to play in his first spring training game Thursday afternoon, but when taking swings that morning, he felt something in his left side.

“I felt some tenderness in the side to where I couldn’t even swing 50% and I got it shut down” he said. “I knew something was wrong from the get-go if I couldn’t swing the way I wanted to.”

Moore said it was possible the oblique injury was connected indirectly to the core surgery in that he wasn’t able to do as much core work as he would normally do in the offseason.

“I was in a great spot, super great spot,” he said. “But whether it happened yesterday, or maybe it would have happened in in a couple of weeks or something like that, it’s going to happen. It’s one of those things if that does happen, there’s a weakness that you have to get by, get through and strengthen. The timing obviously sucks, but the overall diagnosis is positive. I’m confident I will come out of it alright.”

Moore was set to take on a platoon role at second base with Kolten Wong and give J.P. Crawford extra days off at shortstop this season. There is no concrete plan as of yet in how to cover for Moore while he has out. Servais said that for nowm, Mason McCoy and Jose Caballero, neither of whom have big league experience, will be moved around the field. Tommy La Stella is still not an option as he has been limited to DH duties with a sore arm. Servais is hoping to get him back in the field in 5-7 days.

The news seems better for Crawford, who has been out with the “soggy” shoulder, as he is projected to start at short on Monday.

There is, of course, the option to go out of the organization for help. There has been speculation that a deal could be had with the Yankees who could part with Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who is entering the final year of his contract and is not locked into a position.

Mariners Notes:

• Friday night’s lineup vs Padres:

Haggerty, CF
France, 1B
Pollock, LF
Raleigh, C
Hummel, RF
Murphy, DH
Scheiner, 3B
McCoy, SS
Rivas, 2B

Flexen, SP

Some good names on the gameday roster. Harry Ford, back from the WBC, will take over for Raleigh when he comes out of the game. Shortstop Cole Young, the Mariners’ No. 1 pick last year, makes his first appearance on a game roster, as does 17-year-old outfielder Lazaro Montes, who headlined the Mariners’ 2022 international signing class drawing comparisons to Yordan Alvarez.

• For those who are not on social media (and you should follow @shannondrayer), you never know when you are going to meet a big leaguer.

So it turns out my first interview with Cooper Hummel was not on the #Mariners Hot Stove this winter, it was at Safeco Field in 2007. His mom found the pic. Moms are the best! pic.twitter.com/O84WXsmQls

— Shannon Drayer (@shannondrayer) March 17, 2023

• Camp was a bit louder this morning as Julio Rodríguez, Teoscar Hernández and Diego Castillo returned from the WBC.

Upon arriving at the facility Friday afternoon, Rodríguez walked into Servais’ office and exclaimed, “I’m back in one piece!”

Rost: Those bashing the WBC after Edwin Diaz’s injury are missing the point

Follow @shannondrayer