Second-year Seattle Mariners outfielder Dominic Canzone is on the 10-day injured list, and it was feared that the AC joint sprain he suffered in his shoulder/clavicle area when he crashed into the T-Mobile Park left field wall Sunday would keep him out for a long time.
The good news is it sounds like Canzone’s scenario isn’t the worst case.
Mariners call up one of their top prospects as Canzone goes on IL
According to Mariners insider Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports, Canzone was smiling in the team’s clubhouse Monday afternoon before their 6:42 p.m. series opener against the Cincinnati Reds. Per Drayer, Canzone said the news he received on his injury was much better than it could have been.
Drayer added that Mariners manager Scott Servais said there is no timeline for Canzone’s return and that he would be down at least a couple weeks.
The 26-year-old Canzone slammed into the wall Sunday with basically no bracing or slowing down for impact, and it was impressive that he was both able to hold onto the ball hit by the Chicago Cubs’ Mike Tauchman and throw it back to a cut-off man before laying on the ground in pain. He came out of the game after the play, which occurred in the top of the second inning.
Drayer wrote on social media that when Canzone was asked Monday when he knew where the wall was on his catch, he answered, “When I hit it.”
With Canzone now on the IL, the struggling Mariners offense is without its leader in both home runs (three) and OPS (.817) this season.
Clase in Seattle Mariners lineup
On to Canzone’s replacement on the roster.
Jonatan Clase, a 21-year-old outfielder and Seattle’s No. 10 prospect per MLB.com, was called up from Triple-A Tacoma on Monday morning, and he’ll make his big league debut Tuesday night for the 6-10 Mariners.
Clase will play left field and hit eighth against Reds starter Frankie Montas.
Drayer reported that Servais said Clase is “here to play” and “expected to be in the lineup the next few days.”
Also notable with Monday’s lineup is Luke Raley is playing right field and Mitch Haniger shifts to designated hitter, giving regular DH Mitch Garver the night off.
The Mariners will start George Kirby on the mound against the 9-6 Reds.
Here is the full M’s lineup:
Why the time?
You may have noticed the unusual 6:42 p.m. start time for Monday’s game. What’s the story?
It’s Jackie Robinson Day around MLB, the same day every player in the league wears Robinson’s No. 42 on their jersey, so the M’s went the extra mile and pushed their usual 6:40 start time back by two minutes to honor the man who broke baseball’s color barrier on this day in 1947.