Mariner’s Notebook

Bucky’s day

After nearly nine years in the minor leagues, Bucky Jacobsen spent his first day in the majors Thursday watching from the Seattle Mariners’ bench after being called up from Class AAA Tacoma.

“I like to give them a day to settle into their surroundings,” manager Bob Melvin said.

Today, Jacobsen will settle into the designated hitter role, where he flourished with the Tacoma Rainiers.

Jacobsen, who grew up in Hermiston, Ore., hit 26 home runs and drove in 86 runs at Tacoma, and also won the home run derby this week at the Triple-A All-Star Game at Pawtucket, R.I.

“Certainly you can’t discount his numbers. You look at his numbers and he deserves an opportunity,” Melvin said.

Olivo returns: Catcher Miguel Olivo, obtained from the White Sox in the Freddy Garcia trade, came off the disabled list and started Thursday night.

Melvin made it clear that Olivo is the future behind the plate for the Mariners, but that Dan Wilson also will see considerable playing time.

“It’s not a deal where I’m not going to play Danny,” Melvin said. “He’s going to get his share of time, too.”

Lopez getting closer: Jose Lopez, the promising middle infield prospect who the Mariners hope to see in the majors this season, may begin playing again this week as he comes back from a knee injury.

General manager Bill Bavasi said Lopez is expected to play with the Mariners’ rookie-level team in Peoria, Ariz., within the next two to four days, then join the Tacoma Rainiers.

“He’ll spend a week to 10 days at Tacoma and see if he’s healthy enough to come here,” Bavasi said. “Whether he’s healthy enough, that’s up for discussion. Had he not been hurt, he was earning the right to be here. Our concern now is not getting him to the big leagues, it’s getting that knee under him.”

Baby Boones: Suzy Boone, wife of Mariners second baseman Bret Boone, gave birth to twin boys on Monday at a hospital in Bellevue.

“They don’t look anything alike,” Bret Boone said.

The babies, Isaiah and Judah, weighed about 51/2 pounds each, he said. The Boones also have two other children, daughter Savannah and son Jacob.

“This is the first positive thing that’s happened to me this year,” Bret Boone said. “Mom’s feeling good and she’s ready to go home from the hospital tomorrow.”

Speed pitch: Enumclaw native Kasey Kahne, rookie phenom on the NASCAR Nextel Cup racing circuit, is scheduled to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before Sunday’s game. The Nextel Cup series is off this week and Kahne is racing sprint cars in nearby Elma.

Kirby Arnold, Herald Writer