Mariners place red-hot Leonys Martin on 15-day DL
May 27, 2016, 5:38 PM
The Mariners’ hottest hitter over their past three series wins, Leonys Martin, has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with strained left hamstring. The move is retroactive to Thursday.
Martin suffered the injury while stealing a base in Wednesday’s 13-3 win over Oakland, and was taken out at the conclusion of the inning.
Related: Mariners will send Marte to Triple-A for rehab games
Outfielder Stefen Romero was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma by the Mariners to take Martin’s roster spot, and was immediately placed into Friday’s starting lineup against the Twins in left field. Romero had a huge offensive spring training and nearly made the team for Opening Day.
Martin already has a career-high nine home runs and had appeared to hit his stride over a nine-game hitting streak. Since May 2, he raised his average a full 80 points to .262, and in recent games had established himself in the leadoff spot of the Mariners’ batting order.
It’s not just his bat that Seattle will miss while he’s out. In fact, his recent hot streak was a huge bonus, as general manager Jerry Dipoto initially acquired him from Texas in the offseason for his superior defense in center field and ability to steal bases.
Romero, 27, has been Tacoma’s best hitter this season. He has a .358 average, seven homers and 34 RBIs in 39 games.
