Mariners’ Dylan Moore nears return; Easton McGee ‘likely’ needs Tommy John surgery

On the third pitch of his third rehab game with the Everett AquaSox, Dylan Moore took a 95-mph fastball square in the back Sunday night at Everett Memorial Stadium.

Yes, it left a mark.

Back at T-Mobile Park on Monday afternoon, Moore lifted up his shirt to reveal the black-and-blue welt under his left shoulder blade on Monday afternoon.

“Pretty good, right?” he said.

Moore has left a mark of his own as the Mariners do-it-all utility player the past few seasons, and the good news for the team is he is nearing a return from a core injury that has kept him out since spring training.

After those three High-A games with Everett, Moore is scheduled to continue his rehab assignment with Class AAA Tacoma starting Tuesday, and the Mariners are hopeful he can rejoin the big-league club by the end of this 10-game homestead.

“We’re trying to be cognizant of the idea that he has not had a spring training at all,” Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said Monday. “So it’s a little unique in that he’s had no buildup from the winter. So he will tell us how comfortable he feels day-to-day, but right now he seems to be doing well.”

Moore’s impending return will create something of a logjam on the Mariners’ bench, and the club’s other popular utility player, Sam Haggerty, could wind up being the odd man out.

“I don’t want to count our chickens before they hatch,” Hollander said. “No team has ever gone weeks and weeks and weeks without somebody needing some downtime. … If that happens and we have to make hard decisions, we’ll make hard decisions at that point. But that’s part of the game.

“Dylan’s a really good player. He’s a really valuable player on this roster. Clearly, we’ll have a spot for Dylan when he’s ready to go.”

Cal Raleigh has MRI

Catcher Cal Raleigh, feeling some discomfort in his neck in recent weeks, had an MRI on Monday that reveled no structural issues.

Raleigh was in the lineup Monday for the series opener against Oakland.

“They felt good about what (the imaging) showed,” Hollander said. “ … The plan is just continue to treat it and he should be OK.”

Andres Munoz, Penn Murfee feeling better

The Mariners bullpen could return to full strength at some point in the next two weeks.

Andres Munoz and Penn Murfee have been rehabbing together at the team’s complex in Arizona, and Hollander said he’s optimistic that both could be activated during the team’s next trip (June 2-11).

Munoz has been on the injured list since April 9 with a right-deltoid strain. He had a setback earlier this month when he felt some discomfort during a bullpen session and was given a platelet rich plasma (PRP) injection.

“He feels great coming off the PRP,” Hollander said.

Munoz was scheduled to throw another bullpen in Arizona on Monday.

“This is as optimistic as he has felt as he’s ramped up his throwing and as good as he’s felt each time through,” Hollander said. “So hopefully we are progressing toward activation sometime on the road trip.”

Murfee, on the injured list since May 6 with right-elbow inflammation, also had a PRP injection last week.

“Once he gets on a mound, it will be a faster buildup for him,” Hollander said.

Another relief pitcher, Casey Sadler, has been given clearance to throw. Sadler had shoulder surgery in March 2022 and missed the season. He was shut down again during spring training this year.

Hollander is “cautiously optimistic” Sadler will be ready for a rehab assignment around the All-Star break.

Easton McGee ‘likely’ needs Tommy John surgery

Right-hander Easton McGee, who dazzled in his Mariners debut at Toronto on April 29, will “likely” need Tommy John surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow.

McGee, 25, took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the Blue Jays in a spot start for the Mariners.

He landed on the injured list the next day with a forearm strain.

He has a follow-up examination scheduled with Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, Texas, the same surgeon who recently performed Robbie Ray’s Tommy John surgery.

“What they are seeing is that the instability in (McGee’s) UCL is causing the flexor (tendon) to not heal properly,” Hollander said. “So no matter how much you do under rehab for the flexor, the UCL ligament seems to be causing a problem. So we don’t know for sure, but he’s likely headed for Tommy John, unfortunately.”

Evan White has hip surgery

First baseman Evan White had hip surgery Monday in New York to repair a tendon that was impinging a joint.

It was his second hip surgery in the past two seasons. The 2020 Gold Glove winner has missed most of the past three seasons, and he’s expected to miss at least the next three months after this latest procedure.

He had his first hip surgery in July 2021; he also had surgery to repair a sports hernia in March 2022.