A day after pitching five innings for the Everett AquaSox in the first game of what was supposed to be a rehab assignment to prepare him to return to the Mariners’ roster, Dylan Moore knew something wasn’t right.
The oblique strain was not an issue, landing him on the injured list to start the 2023 season. It was the inner groin and abdominal area where he had off-season surgery that didn’t look quite normal.
“We’re going to scale back our rehab work,” Moore said Friday afternoon. “There is some discomfort and it is something we want to get checked out.”
Moore plans to travel with the team to Philadelphia after Sunday’s homestand finale. On Monday, he is scheduled to visit the Vincera Institute with Dr. William Meyers, a renowned specialist in core surgery who performed the procedure to repair the core muscle tear in December.
Moore said, “We want him to check everything out and see what’s going on out there.”
Moore looked at the lingering issues that Mitch Haniger dealt with after similar surgery. He also cited the groin strain suffered by Evan White, who had surgery for a sports hernia last season, as a concern.
“I can go out there and play, but I can’t really run at full speed,” he said. “And it will be difficult for me to play without full speed.”
The Mariners expected Moore to be back at some point toward the end of an upcoming nine-game road trip. That timetable has been put on the backburner.
Moore’s continued absence is likely to have some impact on the potential roster moving forward.
The Mariners could still keep infielder Jose Caballero on an MLB roster after Sam Haggerty was activated from the seven-day concussion list on Saturday.
Caballero, who started Friday’s game at second base, was called up from Tacoma when Haggerty was hurt. The right-handed hitter, who can play shortstop, could fill in for the role that Moore had to provide this season.
“I think Cabbie handled everything very well,” Servais said. “He didn’t look wide-eyed. He’s not scared. He’s playing like he always does, which is good. You never know when guys make it to the big leagues for the first time. I think the quality of his batsmen is very good.” He’s been aggressive on the bases. He’s played good defense.”
If the Mariners keep Caballero, they will have to option catcher/outfielder Cooper Hummel to Tacoma or designate veteran hitter Tommy La Stella for assignment.
Hummel has played sporadically, appearing in 10 games and posting a .087/.192/.130 slash line.
La Stella has played in nine games as either a designated hitter or pinch-hitter, posting a .188/.278/.250 slash line.
Of the two, Hummel is a switch-hitter who can play multiple positions including catcher, allowing the Mariners to use either Cal Raleigh or Tom Murphy as a desired hitter. He is also faster and a better base runner.
La Stella has yet to play defense in a game. He was troubled by shoulder pain during spring training. What he does provide is experience, a familiarity with the role of being a hitter off the bench and playing sparingly.
notes
- Reliever Andres Munoz (right deltoid strain) is expected to join Class AAA Tacoma for a rehab assignment next week in Las Vegas.
“He’ll throw a live BP in there and if it goes well, it’ll go into a rehab job, followed by probably a few visits,” Servais said. “He’s making progress. Everything’s been good. He feels good. I’m so happy to have him joining us again. I don’t know if he makes it through the next road trip. I hope so.” That he’ll be ready when we get back to the West Coast, maybe Oakland.
- With the Colorado Avalanche in Game 3 of their playoff series versus the Seattle Kraken on Saturday, the Mariners game versus the Cardinals will be telecast on Route Sports Plus.
