PEORIA, Ariz. — The Seattle Mariners’ spring shortstop competition came to an abrupt end Saturday when an examination revealed Chris Taylor suffered a broken bone in his right wrist.
The injury is expected to sideline Taylor for four-to-six weeks and effectively sends Brad Miller into the regular season as the club’s starting shortstop.
“For me, for my focus,” Miller said, “it really doesn’t change anything. It’s really just a bummer because I know Chris, and I know how hard he works.”
General manager Jack Zduriencik said Taylor suffered a break in the triquetrum, which is one of eight small carpal bones in the wrist. Taylor is not expected to require surgery, but he will wear a brace for about 10 days.
“It’s a tough break for the kid,” Zduriencik said. “He had the (broken) pinkie finger a year ago in Triple-A. Now, he’s battling for a job. He’s done a really nice job for us. It would have been interesting to watch it unfold.”
Taylor suffered the injury Friday in a 10-5 victory over Milwaukee at Peoria Stadium when hit on the wrist on what was ruled a foul ball on a pitch from right-hander Jim Henderson.
After a brief examination, Taylor remained in the game and lined a single up the middle before exiting for a pinch-runner.
“I mean, he hit a line drive,” Miller said. “He knocked the guy (Henderson) on his butt right after it happened. So we were like, ‘OK, he’s fine.’”
Taylor said afterward he believed the pitch hit him flush in the wrist.
“It was a fastball with two strikes,” he said. “I checked my hands a little bit, and it got me in the wrist. The hands are always scary. But I took a practice swing and didn’t feel any sharp pain or anything.
“It’s just a dull bruise, I think.”
Taylor, 24, remained upbeat after arriving Saturday prior to undergoing a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exam.
“It swelled up a little bit overnight,” he said, “but that was expected.”
Taylor and Miller were engaged in a strong battle for the starting job. Taylor was batting .421 (8-for-19), while Miller is batting .412 at 7-for-16 after going 1-for-2 in Saturday’s 11-4 victory over Arizona in Scottsdale.
“They’ve both played extremely well,” manager Lloyd McClendon said. “You just hate to see the competition end in this way. But those things happen. It’s part of the game.”
Miller said he competition with Taylor didn’t affect their relationship.
“I get it,” Miller said. “There’s one shortstop on the team. I get it. But for us, we push each other. We work hard, and we cheer for the other one. The last thing we want to see is somebody get hurt.
“He plays the game the right way. That’s for sure. He’s a guy who I definitely respect how he plays because I want to play like that, too. I want to play hard all of the time, too.”
Zduriencik sought to find a silver lining.
“When you have depth,” he said, “you can sustain an injury like this. You just hate to see it happen to anybody. I said from day one, this is a nice ballclub, but we’ve got to stay healthy.”
Taylor was batting .372 last season through 35 games at Triple-A Tacoma and poised for a promotion to replace a struggling Miller when he suffered a broken baby finger on his left hand on a slide at second base.
That injury forced Taylor to miss a month and delayed his major-league debut until July 24. He then batted .287 in 47 games while sharing duty with Miller over the final two months.
“It’s unfortunate for him,” Zduriencik said. “I feel for him. He got through the previous one. He’ll get through this one.”
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