SEATTLE — It appears Seattle Mariners starter Hisashi Iwakuma is dealing with just a minor strain in a back muscle, and he hopes to return to the mound in roughly three weeks.
“It’s a mild strain,” he said Saturday after undergoing two magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exams in the last 24 hours.
“I’m allowed to play catch starting next Friday. So, hopefully, in two-to-three weeks I should be able to pitch — being optimistic.”
The Mariners placed Iwakuma on the 15-day disabled list prior to Friday’s series opener against Minnesota because of a strained back muscle — specifically a strained right latissimus dorsi muscle.
Iwakuma underwent a first MRI exam on Friday night, but the results prompted a call for a second examination to get what manager Lloyd McClendon characterized as “better pictures.”
The lat is a large muscle that connects the back to the arm and, effectively, is the muscle that permits the arm to function. Even strained lats can be stubborn injuries; torn lats often require extensive recovery time.
Dr. E. Edward Khalfayan, the club’s medical director, reviewed results of the two exams and confirmed Iwakuma suffered a Grade 1 strain, the mildest of strains, in his right lat.
Iwakuma was an All-Star in 2013 and won 15 games last season, but he struggled this year in allowing 13 runs and 20 hits over 161/3 innings in his three starts.
His poor performances, he insisted, were not connected to the injury, which he said occurred while playing long toss on Tuesday — the day after his start against Houston.
“Toward the end, as I was finishing up,” he said, “I felt it a little bit. A little discomfort. It’s not pain. It’s just discomfort.”
The Mariners responded to that discomfort by placing Iwakuma on anti-inflammatory medication. They decided to delay further action until he threw Friday in his normal between-starts workout.
When Iwakuma reported similar issues Friday, the Mariners placed him on the disabled list and ordered a round of tests to determine the extent of the problem.
The club also recalled lefty reliever Lucas Luetge from Triple-A Tacoma prior to Friday’s game to replace Iwakuma on the roster..
That move represents an interim step because the Mariners plan to recall lefty Roenis Elias from Tacoma to fill Iwakuma’s scheduled start in Sunday’s series finale against the Twins.
Club officials aren’t confirming their intent to recall Elias, but he arrived Saturday at Safeco Field instead of accompanying the Rainiers to Sacramento.
Iwakuma’s time on the disabled list was backdated to Tuesday, which means he is eligible to be activated on May 6. Even in a best-case scenario, which projects a mid-May return, he figures to miss at least three starts.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
