Mariners’ Lee clears up visa issues

Published 5:38 pm Saturday, March 5, 2016

PEORIA, Ariz. — Seattle Mariners first baseman Dae-Ho Lee’s is back in camp and, from all appearances, his issues concerning a work visa have been resolved. He entered Saturday’s game as a replacement and had a single in his only at-bat.

Lee missed time earlier this week when he had to travel twice to Vancouver, Canada, to obtain a work visa. Club officials said applicants must apply for a work visa at an embassy or consulate located outside of the country.

“From everything I understand,” Servais said, “he’s good to go.”

The Mariners signed Lee, 33, on Feb. 3 to a minor-league contract to bolster their competition for a right-handed-hitting first baseman. Lee spent the last four years in Japan after an 11-year career in the Korean Baseball Organization.

Servais acknowledged a keen interest to see Lee in game conditions.

“Obviously, that’s what we’re waiting for,” Servais said, “to see how he plays in the games. We’ve seen him in the workouts and in the few at-bats he’s had in the minor-league (workouts) to get the timing going.”

Romero improving

Stefen Romero tested his recovery from a bone bruise on his right knee by returning to workouts. He suffered the injury Thursday on a sharp grounder while playing first base.

“He’s still a little sore,” Servais said, “but we’ll try to get him out on the field and see how he feels swinging the bat. See if we can get him ready to go (Sunday).”

Short hops

Lefty (now-)reliever Danny Hultzen thew 25 pitches to hitters in live batting practice and, barring something unexpected, should make his Cactus League debut early next week. … The Mariners have set their rotation for their next four games: Hisashi Iwakuma on Sunday vs. Texas; James Paxton on Monday vs. Arizona; Nathan Karns on Tuesday vs. Cleveland; and Taijuan Walker on Wednesday vs. Kansas City.