M’s notebook: Top prospect Lewis should return midseason

Published 5:15 pm Thursday, January 26, 2017

SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners are hoping prized prospect Kyle Lewis will be ready to return to action near the midpoint of the 2017 season.

Lewis, the team’s first-round pick in the 2016 draft who made his professional debut with the Northwest League’s Everett AquaSox, suffered a devastating injury to his right knee while playing for Everett last season, tearing the anterior cruciate ligament along with the medial and lateral meniscus. The injury ended the outfielder’s season.

Lewis is currently undergoing rehabilitation at the Mariners’ complex in Peoria, Ariz., and Seattle director of player development Andy McKay said Thursday he expects Lewis to be back sometime mid-season.

“If you ask him he probably thinks he’s way ahead of schedule,” McKay said during the Mariners’ pre-spring training media luncheon at Safeco Field. “He looks great, his mindset is tremendous, he’s in good spirits, he has a smile on his face just as he always does. He’s working hard, but that was a massive injury he sustained. I would expect sometime around the All-Star break you’ll see him with a full-time club competing.”

Lewis, the 11th-overall selection in last year’s draft out of Mercer University, is universally regarded as one of the top two prospects in the Mariners’ system, along with outfielder Tyler O’Neill. Lewis had just hit his stride with the Sox last season when he suffered the injury during a collision at home plate in an 8-6 loss to the Tri-City Dust Devils on July 19 at Everett Memorial Stadium. He finished the season batting .299 with a .385 on-base percentage and .530 slugging percentage in 30 games.

Never a dull moment with Dipoto

Seattle general manager Jerry Dipoto has not been shy about making trades and roster moves during his first two offseasons in charge of the organization — his 36 trades the past two offseasons are the most in the majors — and his eagerness for a move was illustrated Thursday as he made one in the middle of the media luncheon, needing just 20 minutes to pull it off.

When Dipoto finished speaking to the media he was followed on stage by manager Scott Servais. By the time Servais was done about 20 minutes later, Dipoto had pulled off yet another roster move, claiming catcher Tuffy Gosewisch off waivers from the Atlanta Braves. The Mariners made room for Goeswisch on their 40-man roster by designating pitcher Jonathan Aro for assignment.

But Dipoto wasn’t done. Later in the day he made another trade, acquiring left-handed pitcher Dillon Overton from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for minor-league catcher Jason Goldstein. Seattle made room on the 40-man roster for Overton by designating catcher Jesus Sucre for assignment.

Surgeries for Cishek, Zych

Two members of Seattle’s 40-man roster underwent offseason surgeries. Relief pitcher Steve Cishek had surgery to repair a labral tear in his left hip, while fellow reliever Tony Zych underwent right shoulder biceps tendon debridement. Both surgeries took place last October.

Mariners assistant athletic trainer Rob Nodine said both players have begun light throwing programs, but that neither has a timetable with regards to returning to games. Both will be re-evaluated when pitchers and catchers report for spring training in Peoria, Ariz., on Feb. 14, at which point the team will determine the next step in their recoveries.

Short hops

The Mariners open the regular season on April 3 on the road versus the Houston Astros. … Servais said he would experiment with using new left fielder Jarrod Dyson, acquired from the Kansas City Royals, in the leadoff spot in the batting order during spring training. That would put shortstop Jean Segura, the team’s highest-profile newcomer who was acquired this offseason from the Arizona Diamondbacks, in the No. 2 spot. … Servais said the team would continue to use the aggressive defensive shifts he employed at times last season. He said the Mariners, after a rocky start in April, led the league in runs saved because of the shift.

For more on the Seattle sports scene, check out Nick Patterson’s Seattle Sidelines blog at cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/heraldnet/tag/seattle-sidelines, or follow him on Twitter at @NickHPatterson.