Already dealing with concerns about a couple of positions in the infield, the Mariners were left Wednesday morning with another hole to fill this time due to injury.
Second baseman Ryan Bliss is headed to the injured list. And he might not be back for a while.
Bliss suffered a tear in his left biceps in Tuesday night’s loss to Houston. The injury, Bliss believes, took place in the second inning when he swung wildly at a curveball from Framber Valdez. Bliss bent over home plate after the swing and looked to be in discomfort as he headed back to the dugout.
But he finished the game despite the injury, including a double that rang off the outfield wall in the fifth inning and a spectacular defensive play on a grounder in the 10th inning.
Bliss underwent imaging Wednesday morning to determine the full extent of the injury.
“I’m still waiting to hear back from the doctors. I’m still waiting to hear myself. Still anxious. It doesn’t feel pretty good. I’m down for sure. I just hope it’s not too bad,” Bliss said.
The Mariners recalled Leo Rivas from Triple-A Tacoma to add depth in the infield while they figure out how to fix another spot in the infield. Miles Mastrobuoni got the start at second base for the series finale against the Astros.
“It’s a really tough break, especially for Ryan. I think it shows a lot of heart that he played most of the game with it yesterday,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “I think it shows you a lot about what’s inside of him and the character that he has. It’s a tough break, but Ryan has such a great attitude and is ready to get after it and get back and get healthy.”
A fair question could be made as to why Bliss was allowed to stay in the game when it was clear he was bothered by the arm following the swing. But Bliss said he passed every check the training staff made, including taking swings in the cage behind the dugout in between innings.
“Did some tests after, then hit a couple balls in the inning after, then hit the double, felt fine after that. I could still play,” Bliss said. “Made all my defensive plays. By that last inning it was feeling a little tight but felt like I could still rock, so felt pretty good.”
Bliss earned the starting nod at second base with a strong spring training at the plate despite some concerns in the field. In 11 games, Bliss was hitting .200 with one homer, a double and three RBIs. He struck out 11 times in 35 at-bats, four of those coming on Tuesday night.
Mastrobuoni, Rivas and Dylan Moore seem to be the likely options in the short term for how to fill the spot, but Moore made his third straight start at third base on Wednesday with Jorge Polanco dealing with tenderness in his side and seeming more and more likely to be best used as a designated hitter.
Rivas played mostly shortstop during his time with the M’s last season but did start two games and made 11 appearances at second base. He’s also a switch-hitter, which is another benefit.
“Knowing that he is here and can be a solid (infielder) at any position does bring a lot of peace of mind and a lot of flexibility, too,” Wilson said of Rivas.
The Mariners also selected the contract of right-hander Casey Lawrence from Tacoma and designated righty Jesse Hahn to get a fresh arm for the taxed bullpen.
Hahn pitched well in his two appearances, throwing two innings in both of his outings. He was tagged for the loss on Tuesday night after allowing an unearned run in the 12th inning, but the need for a fresh arm outweighed keeping Hahn on the roster.
“We saw him in spring training throw the ball very well, too,” Wilson said. “I think he really meshed with the message that Trent (Blank) and (Pete Woodworth) bring and talk about with the pitching staff.”
Brash tosses live BP
Righty Matt Brash moved another step closer to his return from Tommy John surgery by throwing a 15-pitch live batting practice on Wednesday morning.
Brash faced a couple of minor leaguers who came down from Single-A Everett to stand in against the hard-throwing reliever.
“It was nice to face some hitters. Felt really good. Arm feels good. My stuff was kind of right where I wanted it to be,” Brash said. “I thought it went great.”
Brash seems to be ahead of the schedule first expected when he underwent the surgery last May. Brash’s surgery included having a brace placed around the repaired ligament which sped up the recovery time. June 1 of this year seemed to be the initial target for when Brash could return. It appears likely to be earlier.
Brash threw all of his pitches during Wednesday’s live session, including his sweeping slider. The next step will be a rehab stint in Tacoma where he’ll be able to get a full assessment of where he’s at in the recovery.
“I think we’ll just see how I bounce back between outings is the biggest thing,” Brash said. “My stuff is there right now. I could get outs at the big league level right now. It’s more just seeing how I bounce back because obviously as a bullpen guy you have to be ready to go every day and right now I’ve been pretty spaced out. I think that will be the main focus of my rehab.”