Also, Justin Upton is soon to join the Rainiers
If you looked at today’s lineup and gulped when you saw Kyle Lewis out again, directly following an off-day, you weren’t alone, as the entire LL staff let out a collective groan when today’s lineup dropped. However, the reasoning behind it might not be what you expect:
If he is placed on the 7-day concussion IL it would be retroactive to Sat. https://t.co/hAW1TxtITS
— Shannon Drayer (@shannondrayer) May 31, 2022
In case you missed it, Lewis was struck by a José Urquidy slider this past Saturday that hit him in the shoulder and then ricocheted to hit off the head/helmet area. Concussions aren’t a walk in the park, and can have lingering effects, but to me, any non-knee injury news is the better of a bad situation. The Mariners have been very cautious with working KLew back this whole time, so this could even be more of a precautionary measure.
In related news, recently-signed outfielder Justin Upton is, per Ryan Divish, ready to join the Tacoma Rainiers to start getting up to playing speed, which will eventually allow Taylor Trammell, who was thrust back into a big-league role after missing almost the entire beginning of the season with a hamstring injury and no rehab stint, to catch a breather in Tacoma. Personally I am rooting for the always-delightful Taylor to play his way into a consistent big-league role, although maybe after Upton (hopefully) takes a revenge tour against the Angels later this month.
There’s other good news on the rehab front, too, and extra-good news if you live in or around Everett: you can go see Abraham Toro rehabbing with the AquaSox, starting tonight (and actually, possibly see him twice tonight, as it’s a doubleheader for the Frogs):
Breaking: Mariners UTL Abraham Toro will be rehabbing with the Everett AquaSox tonight. He will be available off the bench in game one and bat leadoff, playing second base in game two! pic.twitter.com/Oi28pjE80X
— Everett AquaSox (@EverettAquaSox) May 31, 2022
And one more bit of good news for the Mariners’ ailing bullpen:
Erik Swanson threw a full bullpen and is likely heading out on a rehab assignment in the next couple days. Servais said there’s a chance he could join the team before the end of the road trip.
— Jen Mueller (@JenTalksSports) May 31, 2022
Also, Divish reports that Ken Giles, who is already making rehab appearances with Tacoma, will get in a few more before rejoining the team, likely after the road trip. Get well soon, everyone, but especially Erik Swanson, because holy smokes, does that bullpen need you.