5/16/22: SEA at TOR Open Game Thread

The Mariners continue their arduous road trip with a stop north of the border

Thankfully the Mariners earned a series win against the Mets in interleague play, but now things get more difficult as they travel across the border to face an old foe in the Blue Jays with nary an off-day in between what has already been an eventful start to the road trip.

COVID restrictions in Canada disallow unvaccinated players from entering the country, which means we’ll see an unknown number of roster moves this series as unvaccinated players are shifted to the restricted list and replaced. The first such of those moves is RHP Drew Steckenrider to the restricted list; he’ll be replaced for this series by LHP Roenis Elías. Fun fact about Elías: if he appears in a game, that will be his third separate go-round with the team, a feat accomplished by only four other players in Mariners history. (Bonus points if you can name them in the comments.) No official word yet on whether or not this is just an off-day for Adam Frazier or if he too will be an eventual roster move. Also of note, Robbie Ray does not appear to be with the team, but does have a locker; apparently the reasoning for this is unvaccinated starting pitchers who have made an appearance in the prior four days before traveling to Canada are not allowed to be replaced so teams don’t gain any competitive advantage of an extra bullpen arm or something.

One other roster move: the Mariners have traded Yohan Ramírez to Cleveland for cash considerations. It’s a little surprising considering how long Ramírez was with the Mariners after being taken in the Rule 5 draft back in 2019, but the Mariners are facing a 40-man crunch, which is why they DFA’d Ramírez in the first place on the 13th. Fare the well, Yohan; I did not always enjoy watching him pitch, but I always enjoyed his ebullient spirit on the mound.

Today’s game starts at 4:10 PT and can be seen on ROOT Sports NW or heard on 710 Seattle Sports. If you’re out of area you can also catch the game on MLB TV, if you have it, or if you’re in-area stream it on fuboTV.