SEATTLE — Joaquin Benoit’s ailing shoulder finally became too much for the Seattle Mariners to continue nursing along on a day-to-day basis.
“We decided he needs to take a step back and regroup,” manager Scott Servais said, “instead of trying to chase it every day. Just give it some time. Let’s get it right. We’ve got a lot of games ahead of us.”
The Mariners placed Benoit, their veteran right-handed setup reliever, on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to April 22, prior to Monday’s series opener against Houston at Safeco Field because of what it termed shoulder inflammation.
The tentative plan is a complete shutdown for Benoit over the next three or four days before having him undergo a reexamination to determine a recovery program. Servais said the Mariners believe it will be “a two-or-three-week thing.”
The Mariners replaced Benoit by recalling right-hander Mayckol Guaipe from Triple-A Tacoma. Guaipe, 25, had three saves and a 2.16 ERA in 81/3 innings over six appearances for the Rainiers.
“I’ve been really working hard on keeping the ball down in the zone,” said Guaipe, who compiled a 5.40 ERA last season in 21 big-league games.
“I’d had success in the minors and, up here, I was a little inconsistent (last season) with my pitches. I really focused on that at the end of last year and this year as well.”
Servais said Guaipe would likely pitch early in games and, with his ability to work multiple innings, the Mariners can shift lefty Mike Montgomery and right-hander Tony Zych to “more prominent roles.”
Veteran right-hander Joel Peralta will replace Benoit as the primary set-up reliever for closer Steve Cishek. Peralta blew two one-run leads in the eighth inning earlier in the season when Benoit was unavailable.
“We’ll see how the lineup looks,” Servais said. “Depending on what type of hitters we’re facing and what part of the lineup we’re in in the seventh and eighth, we’ll match it up there. Peralta will probably be the guy we’ll lean on.”
Benoit, 38, first encountered soreness in his upper back and shoulder in spring training. The ailment initially appeared to improve through rest, and he made five appearances prior to going on the disabled list.
“I thought he was going to be fine after we gave him some time down,” Servais said. “He came back and felt good the day after he threw the first day. Then we brought him back again, and he didn’t really respond.”
The Mariners acquired Benoit on Nov. 12, 2015 from San Diego in a trade for two minor-league players: right-handed pitcher Enyel De Los Santos and infielder Nelson Ward.
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