Mariners’ Robinson Cano to test toe in winter ball

The Mariners confirmed Friday morning that second baseman Robinson Cano will play in some upcoming winter-league games in the Dominican Republic. A report from the DR said that he was scheduled to make his first start Tuesday.

The team has issued the following statement:

“Robinson approached us about playing games in the Dominican Winter League and we have granted him permission to play in a limited amount of games. Robinson has reported to us his broken right pinkie toe is fully healed and wants to get on a baseball field to test it before reporting for spring training. We look forward to Robinson reporting to Peoria in a little over a month ready to go for the 2015 season.”

It is not unusual for veteran players from the DR or Venezuela to play in a few games in their countries in order to get ready for spring training. It is also not unusual for clubs to tell these players they would prefer they don’t. This case is a little different as Cano is coming off a small injury. He will play for Estrellas de Oriente, which has eight games remaining in the league’s round-robin playoffs.

Notes

• While we are on the topic of winter ball, Franklin Gutierrez finished Venezuelan League play hitting .222/.275/.526/.803 in 10 games played.

• John Hicks, DJ Peterson, Ketel Marte and Patrick Kivlehan are currently in Leesburg, Va. to take part in the MLB Rookie Career Development Program. The program is a joint effort by MLB and the MLB Players Association to prepare players for what they will encounter in the big leagues. Each team sends its top young players to the program, which lasts for four days. There are media training sessions, meetings with MLB security and a number of seminars that cover issues including managing finances and avoiding performance-enhancing drugs.

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