Mariners slugger Kyle Lewis was not activated from the injured list Monday as M’s fans might have hoped, but the 2020 Rookie of the Year could be back in the lineup Tuesday night.
Lewis was in transit to Seattle on Monday afternoon and manager Scott Servais said, “We’ll see how he’s feeling and hopefully add him to our roster.”
“I am going glass half-full that he’s going to be available tomorrow; that’s what I am going with,” Servais said when asked if Lewis’ rehab assignment with Class AAA Tacoma could be extended past the 20-day period that ended Sunday.
Lewis has not played in the big leagues since suffering a torn meniscus in his right knee trying to make a difficult catch May 31 last season.
Lewis, who suffered a torn ACL in his right knee in 2016, played once in the outfield early in his rehab assignment but rested for two days afterward and was only used as the designated hitter after that. He hit .314 with three homers in 35 at-bats with Tacoma and played in three straight games Friday-Sunday.
“The adjustment was to get him going DHing, and get him comfortable doing that,” Servais said. “It doesn’t mean we won’t get him in the outfield at some point, but where we’re at right now and his anxiousness to get back and be a contributor here, we thought it would be best to try to get him to fill the DH spot as quickly as we could.”
Servais said getting Lewis back could be a big boost for an offense that has struggled all season.
“Any time you can get a player back that can change the lineup and impact the game the way he can, it’s a huge shot in the arm,” Servais said. “He hasn’t played in the big leagues in a while — it has been almost a year — so you don’t know what you’re going to get, but I hope he comes back smoking hot.”