The Mariners held their annual pre-spring training media luncheon Thursday morning at Safeco Field. I’ll have multiple stories about what was said there in the coming days. However, the news that came out that’s probably the most important to share are the player injury updates. The information is courtesy of longtime Mariners trainer Rick Griffin:
Robinson Cano: Seattle’s star second baseman underwent successful surgery on core muscles on both his left and right sides in October. He is currently working out in the Dominican Republic and is not having any issues. The Mariners will monitor him during spring training, but don’t anticipate any problems. Cano was already dealing with the issue on his left side early last season, then suffered the same injury to his right side on July 28. He insisted on playing through the injuries. Griffin said, “Not too many people could have played through what he played through.”
Hisashi Iwakuma: One of the surprises of the offseason came when Iwakuma signed a free-agent contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the Dodgers backed out following Iwakuma’s physical, allowing the Mariners the opportunity to re-sign the starting pitcher. Griffin said he had no idea what happened with the physical with the Dodgers, but that he had no concerns at all about Iwakuma’s health.
Jesus Sucre: The reserve catcher suffered a fractured fibula and severely sprained right ankle sliding into second base while playing winter ball in Venezuela. He had surgery in Seattle last week and will miss six months.
Charlie Furbush: The left-handed reliever had shoulder tendonitis at the end of last season. He rehabbed all offseason in Seattle. He’s currently on a throwing program with no discomfort. The team will go slowly with Furbush in spring training, but things are progressing well.
James Paxton: The starting pitcher had a fingernail that tore almost to the cuticle late last season. The fingernail has completely grown out and shouldn’t be an issue. Paxton also lost 20 pounds and is in good shape.
Franklin Gutierrez: The oft-sidelined outfielder is controlling his irritable bowl syndrome better. His weight remained stable during the offseason at 210-215 pounds. It took time to stabilize the dosage of his medication, but the right dosage has been found. However, the problem isn’t going away, so he’ll have to continue to be monitored day to day.
Danny Hultzen: The left-handed pitcher is in Arizona playing catch and working out. He’s coming to spring training to try to make the team following two lost seasons because of reconstructive shoulder surgery. The talk is that Hultzen will be worked as a reliever rather than a starter.
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