With one day to go before the list ended, we gained some clarity about a couple of players who had been somewhat in doubt for opening day. First, it seems that the congratulations go to José Marmolejos, whose name makes me hungry.
Servais said they would be comfortable playing José Marmolejos in left field based on the width of the field. Parks with more confined left fields would be easier to make. He specifically mentioned Houston.
– Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) July 22, 2020
Marmolejos signed a minor league contract in the offseason, approximately 3 decades ago, and after a solid AAA campaign in 2019 (117 wRC + for the Nationals AAA team) he will be able to handle the OF corner chores and possibly spell Evan White occasionally. This should mean that Jake Fraley starts out in the taxi squad, giving him a little time to settle in and get his head right after what appeared to be an unstable restart of his summer camp season. Now the bad:
Tom Murphy’s left ankle pain does not respond to treatment. There is a possibility that it may not start on the opening day list. Sailors would likely have Joe Hudson as backup. But they’re also looking in the free-agent capture market and possible list cuts
– Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) July 22, 2020
Tom Murphy obviously blew up on the scene for the 2019 Mariners, the club’s top hitter by fWAR and wRC + and a defender capable of starting. He had been retained several times more than might be expected in the past few days and is now very likely to miss Fauxpening Day, as the Mariners probably do not want to jeopardize a key piece in what they now explicitly call a year of reconstruction. .
Joe Hudson has had a 13 MLB PA between Anaheim and St. Louis, but he’s not exactly a front-line catcher. With Austin Nola likely circling the diamond, it’s not surprising that the Mariners are looking for a supplement on the job until Murphy is available. This is not all the bad news either:
Austin Adams hopes to start the season in IL
– Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) July 22, 2020
Austin Adams had seemed to be his old (good) this summer, but the club admitted that he was pushed a bit, and like Murphy, a potentially valuable piece like Adams should be treated with caution until the club is sure he is healthy. With Gerson Bautista’s injury, that really leaves two points in the bullpen, and Bryan Shaw still can’t fill that spot:
The Mariners are still finalizing their 30-man roster. The situation surrounding Murphy and also the status of Bryan Shaw’s admission requirements will keep them waiting until the 9am deadline tomorrow.
– Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) July 22, 2020
At this stage, the center of the Mariners’ bullpen is so interchangeable that you can’t even predict who sees the door open as a result of Adams going to IL. The best case scenario for a fan is probably Joey Gerber, who has certainly seemed inconsistent this spring. They could also use Anthony Misiewicz in an effort to add some length that Bryan Shaw will provide once he arrives.
To update: In tonight’s broadcast, Jerry Dipoto announced that Tom Murphy has a “little” break on his metatarsal. To refresh those of you who are not anatomy nerds, the metatarsals are the long bones in the foot and it hurts the most when the peanut butter jar is dropped on the foot in the morning. The length of time Murphy is down will depend on the severity of the fracture and the metatarsal that is fractured. The first metatarsal, closest to its instep, is the largest and has the most important job of supporting weight, and is the one that most often requires surgical intervention when it breaks, which obviously extends the healing period. Some fractures of the fifth metatarsal, on the outside of the foot, can take up to eight weeks to heal. Inner metatarsals, on the other hand, may take less time to heal. Still, there is a possibility that Murph is inactive for a more significant period of time than one might associate with the phrase “a little break.”
