Mariners place Juan Nicasio (knee), Dan Altavilla (UCL) on disabled list
Jun 8, 2018, 12:13 PM
(AP)
The Mariners’ bullpen has been dealt a big blow, as Seattle placed both Juan Nicasio and Dan Altavilla on the 10-day disabled list Friday.
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Nicasio has an effusion, which is water or swelling, on his right knee. Altavilla’s injury sounds much more ominous – a UCL sprain in his elbow. While a sprain is not necessarily a serious problem, UCL injuries are what the Tommy John surgery procedure repairs.
The Mariners recalled first baseman Daniel Vogelbach and right-handed reliever Mike Morin from Triple-A Tacoma to fill out their active roster. Vogelbach is in the lineup playing first base in Friday’s 4:10 p.m. game against Tampa Bay on 710 ESPN Seattle, while Morin will assume a role in the bullpen.
Nicasio leads the American League with 14 holds, though he has struggled with consistency at times. The 31-year-old righty is 1-3 with a 5.34 ERA, but before giving up four runs in a loss to Houston on Wednesday, he had made eight straight scoreless appearances, covering nine innings of three-hit ball with no walks and 16 strikeouts.
The is the second trip to the DL this year for Altavilla, who previously dealt with AC joint inflammation. The 25 year old is 3-2 with five holds and a 2.61 ERA over 22 appearances (20 2/3 innings) with the Mariners. He also had a short run in Triple-A from May 23-27 this season.
Morin, 27, has played in parts of four MLB seasons with Kansas City and Anaheim. He is 2-1 with three saves and a 3.24 ERA in 20 games (25 innings) with the Rainiers, limiting left-handed hitters to a .196 batting average against.
Vogelbach, 25, has had a pair of previous stints with the Mariners this year. He is hitting .200 (12 for 60) with two home runs, five RBIs and 10 walks in 22 games with Seattle. With Tacoma, he has a .304/.444/.652 slash line with 10 home runs, 24 RBIs, 28 walks with only 18 strikeouts.
Here are the lineups for Game 2 between the Mariners and Rays on 710 ESPN Seattle Friday.
Mariners (39-23)
Dee Gordon, 2B
Jean Segura, SS
Mitch Haniger, RF
Nelson Cruz, DH
Kyle Seager, 3B
Mike Zunino, C
Ben Gamel, LF
Guillermo Heredia, CF
Daniel Vogelbach, 1B
Marco Gonzales, LHP
Rays (28-33)
Daniel Roberton, SS
C.J. Cron, DH
Matt Duffy, 3B
Wilson Ramos, C
Carlos Gómez, RF
Jake Bauers, 1B
Johnny Field, LF
Christian Arroyo, 2B
Mallex Smith, CF
Wilmer Font, RHP
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