Mariners catcher Tom Murphy (foot) will go to IL before Friday’s opening game. (AP)
The Mariners have received news that is as bad as it can be for an MLB team just days away from the start of the season – its starting catcher is heading to the disabled list.
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Tom Murphy has a metatarsal fracture in his left foot, Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto revealed Wednesday night during the ROOT Sports broadcast of the Summer Camp team’s last in-escalation game, and will be located in IL on Thursday. That leaves the Ms fighting in the support position with opening day scheduled for 6:10 p.m. Friday in Houston.
Murphy had been left out of summer camp activities in recent days due to what the team called a bruised foot, and on Wednesday morning, manager Scott Servais informed reporters that the team was unsure whether Murphy would be healthy enough to play in that first game. . Now it looks like Seattle will need a more concrete replacement for Murphy in the future.
That means Austin Nola will step forward to catch starting pitcher Mariners Marco Gonzales on Friday against the Astros. The converted shortstop primarily played first base for Seattle in 2019 after his promotion from Triple-A Tacoma, but the catcher had been his primary position last year in the minors and made seven behind-the-plate appearances for the M’s. The Mariners planned for Murphy and Nola to split time at catcher this year, though Murphy would likely have more starts at the position, especially given Nola’s ability to play across the field.
“It’s a hit and I feel really bad for Murph,” Servais said Wednesday night after the Mariners’ last in-scale game. “This guy works as hard as anyone we have. He comes to the stadium with a great attitude every day. Unfortunately things happen. “
The Mariners will not attempt to bring Murphy back to the field despite the urgency of the 60-game MLB season.
“It just didn’t respond to treatments, I found out later today that it would probably start with IL,” said Servais. “… It’s kind of weird, Murph said it’s something they’ve never seen before. I hope it doesn’t go too low, but I also don’t want it running again. I want it to be 100 percent when I get back, but that’s baseball, it throws you a a lot of corners, we have to adjust. Austin will have a lot of time there, just like (Joe) Hudson. “
Murphy, 29, was an early-season acquisition by the Mariners in 2019 and one of the season’s biggest stories. He hit .273 with 18 home runs, a slugging percentage of .535 and OPS of .858 in 75 games (281 plate appearances). He also earned a reputation as a strong defender with good management skills in managing a team of pitchers.
The 30-year-old Nola hit .269 with 10 home runs, a slugging percentage of .454 and .796 OPS in 79 games (267 plate appearances) in 2019, her first in the majors.
Joe Hudson, who has been in camp with the Mariners but is not currently on the 40-man roster, will be Nola’s backup in the future. The 29-year-old has appeared in nine MLB games in the past two seasons with the Angels and Cardinals.
The Mariners could also seek to add a catcher that is cut from another MLB team when the season opener lists are made before the Thursday morning deadline, but the COVID-19 test needed to clear the players. to play during all 60 games. The season will only complicate things.
Receiver uncertainty before the first game of the season isn’t new to the Mariners. A late injury to Mike Zunino before opening day 2018 left Seattle with then-backup Mike Marjama as his only option behind the plate, and Marjama had to contend with a minor hand injury sustained during that game.
The Mariners’ first game against the Astros will air on 710 ESPN Seattle beginning with the pregame show at 5 pm
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