Mariners Pregame: Hernandez to disabled list, Gonzales recalled from Tacoma
The Seattle Mariners placed right-hander Felix Hernandez on the disabled list Saturday because of tendinitis in his right biceps. Lefty Marco Gonzales was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma and is scheduled to start Saturday at Kansas City.
The ailment this time is tendinitis in his right biceps. Club officials announced the move on Saturday morning, which is retroactive to Aug. 2. Hernandez missed two months earlier this season because of bursitis in his right shoulder.
Gonzales, 25, won two starts at Tacoma after being acquired from St. Louis in a July 21 trade for minor-league outfielder Tyler O’Neill. Gonzales was 4-2 with a 5.53 ERA in 12 games over parts of three big-league seasons with the Cardinals.
Hernandez, 31, is 5-4 with a 4.28 ERA this season in 13 starts, including 3-2 and 4.02 ERA in eight starts after returning from the disabled list.
Gonzales was a first-round pick in 2013 and reached the big leagues a year later. He missed all of last season while recovering from reconstructive-elbow surgery (Tommy John surgery).
Club officials previously indicated Gonzales was likely to be promoted in the near future, which suggested he would replace either Erasmo Ramirez or Yovani Gallardo in the rotation.
Hernandez’s injury means Ramirez and Gallardo will each remain in the rotation for now. Ramirez is scheduled to start Sunday in the series finale at Kansas City, while Gallardo is slotted for Wednesday at Oakland.
Even before Hernandez returned to the disabled list, the storyline for the Mariners and Royals heading into Saturday’s game in Kansas City centered on injuries (and the weather).
Mariners designated hitter Nelson Cruz was a late scratch Friday after suffering neck spasms on a pre-game swing in the batting cage. Even after the game, Cruz was moving gingerly.
“It just hurts to move up and down,” he said. “I had something like it two years ago in Cleveland, with a huge bump in my back. This isn’t as bad, but it’s a different spot. It’s close to my lat (back muscle).”
Cruz leads the American League with 80 RBIs and, as manager Scott Servais understated: “When he’s not in our lineup, it’s a different-looking lineup.”
The Royals are bracing for bad news after All-Star catcher Salvy Perez left Friday’s game wincing from pain in his right ribcage after a swinging strikeout in the sixth inning against James Paxton.
Results are pending from a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exam, but Perez previously battled ribcage tightness this season on both sides. Royals manager Ned Yost said: “It’s a different spot. It’s a little more concerning.”
The Mariners took advantage of Perez’s absence Friday by stealing three bases against backup catcher Drew Butera in a three-run seventh inning that propelled them to a 5-2 victory.
Mariners Log: M’s run away from Royals in 5-2 win
Jarrod Dyson went 2 for 4 with a run, RBI and stolen base and the Seattle Mariners topped the Kansas City Royals 5-2 in the second of a four-game series at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City on Friday. | Read more »
As for the weather, the Weather Channel’s noon forecast in Kansas City called for a 70 percent chance of rain at game time, increasing to 100 percent within three hours and continuing to be 80 percent or higher until 5 a.m. on Sunday.
Since this is the Mariners’ only trip this season to Kansas City, a rainout would almost certainly result in a Sunday doubleheader. While the Mariners have an open date Monday, the Royals are playing St. Louis.
Worth noting: The Mariners have MLB’s longest active streak without a postponement at 572 games, which dates to a rainout on April 30, 2014 at Yankee Stadium in New York.