SEATTLE — Shortstop Ketel Marte, as expected, returned Monday to the Seattle Mariners’ active roster and went immediately into the starting lineup for the series opener against Cleveland at Safeco Field.
Marte, 22, missed 14 games after suffering a sprained left thumb May 21 while sliding into second base at Cincinnati. The Mariners were 6-8 in his absence. Marte was 4-for-20 in five rehab games at Triple-A Tacoma
“My first game was a little bit of a struggle at the plate,” he said, “because it had been a long time without playing. But now, I feel good. I’m ready to come back.”
The Mariners cleared space for Marte by optioning outfielder Stefen Romero to Triple-A Tacoma. Romero, 27, was 3-for-15 in eight games following his May 26 recall from the Rainiers.
While Romero made two defensive mistakes in Sunday’s loss at Texas, including a mental blunder, he previously projected as the likely odd-man out when Marte returned.
Manager Scott Servais said: “Looking at what Cleveland’s got, four right-handed starters and they’re predominantly right-handed in their bullpen. There’s not a great opportunity for him to get any starts or have any real impact in the games.”
Marte batted .276 with a .307 on-base percentage in 40 games prior to his injury, including .310 and .333 in 25 games after a slow start. He was also a plus-4 in defensive runs saved prior to his injury.
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