Mariners place Jean Segura on 10-day DL with high ankle sprain
Jun 2, 2017, 3:09 PM | Updated: 10:38 pm
Mariners shortstop Jean Segura has hit the 10-day DL due to a high ankle sprain. (AP)
(AP)
As the third month of the baseball season begins, the Mariners will have to make due without their leadoff man for the second time already in 2017.
The Mariners announced Friday afternoon that they have placed shortstop Jean Segura on the disabled list with a high ankle sprain following his early exit from Thursday’s game on a feet-first slide into second base.
Not heading to the DL, however, is designated hitter Nelson Cruz, who also came out early Thursday after taking a pitch off the top of his left hand. He was in the lineup in his usual spot hitting cleanup for Friday’s series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays, which Seattle won 12-4.
Segura’s DL placement wasn’t the only move the Mariners announced. To take his place on the active roster, they called up infielder Tyler Smith from Triple-A Tacoma. Seattle also optioned Casey Lawrence to Tacoma and recalled Tyler Cloyd from the Rainiers to give its bullpen a fresh right-handed arm. Lawrence threw five innings in relief in a 6-3 loss Thursday to the Colorado Rockies.
To make room for Smith and Cloyd on the 40-man roster, outfielder Andrew Aplin was designated for assignment and right-handed pitcher Ryan Weber was transferred from the 10-day DL to the 60-day DL.
This is Segura’s second trip to the DL this season after missing time in April with a hamstring strain. Manager Scott Servais said the Mariners will have to wait for a determination for just how serious the ankle injury is.
“Timetable-wise, don’t really know yet. Kinda see where he’s at probably seven days out from now (and) we’ll get a chance to get a little bit better feel on that,” Servais said.
Cruz, meanwhile, has a bruise from taking the pitch off his hand, but considering he played through a painful wrist injury down the stretch last season, it’s not all that surprising he will play Friday.
“Everybody knows it’s tough not to put him in the lineup,” Servais said, “and he wants to play tonight and we’re gonna give it a go. He’s gonna give it a shot. He hit some balls down in the cage earlier so he thinks he’s gonna be OK tonight.”
Utility man Taylor Motter will assume the regular shortstop duties in Segura’s absence, while Smith will give Seattle some flexibility off the bench.
“We needed the other infielder to help out there. He can play the middle infield and if we had to run him in the outfield, he can do that as well,” Servais said of Smith, who will be making his MLB debut in his first appearance up with the M’s.
Smith, 25, has a .265 average with five home runs, 18 RBIs and .344 on-base percentage in 50 games with the Rainiers this season.
Cloyd, 30, last pitched in the MLB in 2013. He has a 5.98 ERA in 93 1/3 innings over two seasons in the big leagues. The Mariners purchased his Atlantic League contract from the Somerset Patriots last month and assigned him to Tacoma, where he gave up just two runs over 16 1/3 innings.
The Mariners will likely hope to clear the 26-year-old Aplin through waivers after acquiring him from the Houston Astros for a player to be named later or cash on May 24.
