M’s notebook: Long recovery almost over for top prospect Lewis

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, June 7, 2017

SEATTLE — The long rehab road is just about over for the Seattle Mariners’ top prospect.

Outfielder Kyle Lewis is scheduled to depart Sunday from extended spring training in Arizona to join either Hi-A Modesto or Lo-A Clinton, general manager Jerry Dipoto said.

Lewis is currently taking part in extended-spring games as the last phase in an 11-month recovery from a major injury to his right knee. Club officials will determine which club Lewis will join later in the week.

Dipoto indicated the decision between Modesto and Clinton will hinge on Lewis’ sharpness at the plate in his final extended-spring games.

The Mariners selected Lewis, 21, in the first round of the 2016 MLB Draft following his junior season at Mercer University. He won the Golden Spikes Award, presented annually to the nation’s top college player.

Lewis batted .299 with three homers and 26 RBI in 30 games at Short-A Everett before a July 19 collision at the plate against Tri-City (Padres) resulted in a torn anterior cruciate ligament and torn medial and lateral meniscus.

The News Tribune cited Lewis as the organization’s top prospect in its preseason TNT Top 10 rankings. Baseball America also put Lewis atop its preseason list of the Mariners’ top prospects.

— Clinton is sending three players to the Midwest League All-Star Game on June 20 in Midland, Mich. Outfielder Anthony Jimenez, right-hander Brandon Miller and lefty Danny Garcia will be part of the Western Division team.

Jimenez, 21, is batting .298 with seven homers and 29 RBI in 50 games. He is a Venezuelan native who was signed as a free agent in 2013.

Miller, 21, is 6-3 with a 3.72 ERA in 11 starts. He was picked in the 11th round of the 2016 MLB Draft.

Garcia, 23, is 5-4 with a 5.08 ERA in 11 games, including nine starts. He was a 16th-round selection in the 2016 draft.

Ailing calf knocks Cruz out of lineup

A troublesome right-calf injury knocked designated hitter Nelson Cruz out of the Mariners’ lineup Wednesday against Minnesota and could keep him on the bench for a few days.

Cruz exited Tuesday’s 12-3 victory over the Twins after tightness in his calf returned while running the bases. He underwent a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exam on Wednesday.

“He pulled himself out of that (May 30) game in Colorado,” manager Scott Servais said. “He tried to play through it, but (Tuesday) night it was barking a little bit. I don’t know how long he’s going to be out. Maybe a day or two.”

Cruz is batting .299, leads the Mariners with 14 home runs and leads the American League with 46 RBI. He also leads the balloting to determine the AL’s starting DH in the All-Star Game on July 11 in Miami.

— Right-hander Felix Hernandez will throw a between-starts bullpen workout this week at Safeco Field after getting roughed up Tuesday in a rehab start for Triple-A Tacoma in a 12-9 loss to Reno (Diamondbacks).

Hernandez gave up five runs in two innings while throwing 28 of 50 pitches for strikes. It was his first game action since being diagnosed with bursitis in his shoulder after an April 25 start at Detroit.

“His arm wasn’t bothering him,” Servais said. “He was throwing all of his pitches. He wasn’t holding back there at all. But the timing of his delivery … you have to be able to execute pitches.

“It’s hard when you haven’t done it for a while to just run out there.”

Hernandez is tentatively slotted to make another rehab start Sunday and stretch out to 80 pitches for Tacoma against Las Vegas at Cheney Stadium.

“I think it’s important,” Servais said, “when Felix does go back active for us, we feel good that he can give you six or seven innings.”

— Plans call for right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma to test his recovery from a sore shoulder Thursday by throwing another simulated game prior to batting practice at Safeco Field.

The Mariners put Iwakuma on the disabled list after he was diagnosed with inflammation in his shoulder following a May 3 start against the Los Angeles Angels.

If all goes well Thursday, Iwakuma could be ready to begin a rehab assignment next week in the minors.

Looking back

It was 27 years ago Wednesday — June 7, 1990 — that Randy Johnson, in his first start after pitching a no-hitter against Detroit, retired the final 20 batters in a 2-1 victory over the White Sox in Chicago.

Johnson gave up a home run to Ivan Calderon in the third inning but struck out 10 and walked just one in a complete-game victory.