Mariners notebook: Steve Cishek takes a step forward
Feb 21, 2017, 2:15 PM | Updated: 3:42 pm
Mariners reliever Steve Cishek is coming back from hip labrum surgery in October. (AP)
(AP)
PEORIA, Ariz. – Mariners reliever Steve Cishek, who underwent hip labrum surgery over the offseason, made 25 throws from 60 feet on a back field in Peoria Tuesday morning. The brief throwing session went well.
Cishek has been able to keep his arm active through his rehab, but this was the first time he has thrown since the Oct. 12 surgery. Trainers were happy with what they saw from Cishek in the short session and will continue to evaluate him day-to-day to determine what comes next. If everything feels right Wednesday, he could play catch again Thursday.
While his comeback has been slower than originally thought, he could soon start to progress toward a throwing program as there was no arm involvement in the injury. He has been able to keep his arm active through his rehab and now it is a matter of getting his legs under him as he starts to throw.
He could return mid-April if things go smoothly, but early on the Mariners will be taking it day-to-day with Cishek.
Notes
• Hitters had the opportunity to face “live” pitchers Tuesday for a round of batting practice. While the middle-of-the-order guys – Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz and Kyle Seager – mostly just tracked the ball, a couple of veterans, including Danny Valencia and Carlos Ruiz, took some swings.
• We are less than two weeks away from seeing a number of Mariners players leave camp to join their World Baseball Classic teams. The tournament has strict guidelines on how many pitches pitchers can throw, and how often they can take the mound. The Mariners will not be putting any further restrictions on their pitchers in the tournament as they feel the work the pitchers did coming into camp has fully prepared them for the tournament. Starters are limited to 65 pitches in the first-round games.
• As mentioned in the previous post, Leonys Martin could return to the club as soon as Wednesday. Martin’s absence from the team is excused, but club officials will not comment on why he is gone. It has been assumed and now confirmed that he is testifying in the federal trial of two agents charged with conspiracy and alien smuggling. Details of Martin’s testimony can be found in this Associated Press story.
• MLB has announced that longtime umpires Bob Davidson, John Hirschbeck, Jim Joyce and Tim Welke have retired.
