SEATTLE -- Roster decisions loom on the Mariners’ immediate horizon, potentially as soon as this weekend if Luke Raley is ready to wrap up his Minor League rehab assignment and be activated from the injured list.
Because if his massive homer on Tuesday at Triple-A Tacoma was any indication, the slugger is simply putting on the finishing touches to his timing, after spending the past seven weeks recovering from a right oblique strain.
Raley was slated to play one more game for the Rainiers, on Wednesday night -- a few hours after Seattle’s 3-1 loss to Boston in a matinee at T-Mobile Park -- after which the club will reassess his status.
In light of the start times for each game, even if he was ready, Raley was unable to travel with the team to Chicago, where the Mariners will begin a stretch of 17 games in 17 days with no breaks after Thursday’s off-day.
But that doesn’t mean he can’t be there by Friday.
“We want to get him healthy first, and get him back out there,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “Obviously, Luke is a guy that is pretty versatile and can find his way on the field in different ways. And defensively, he does such a great job for us. Offensively, he provides a lot of pop as well. So obviously, a guy you want in the lineup.”
Raley’s return would create a roster crunch that will make Dominic Canzone, Rowdy Tellez or Donovan Solano the odd man out. And subtracting any one of those players would come with inherent -- and individualized -- challenges.
The only other consideration would be Miles Mastrobuoni, who has one Minor League option remaining, but his left-handed bat and ability to play virtually every position makes him the ideal bench player.
Here’s a case for each of Canzone, Solano and Tellez to remain once Raley returns -- and a con that could play against them in the decision-making process.
A case: Before hitting into a game-ending double play on Wednesday, which might’ve been sparked by a frustratingly close called strike two while pinch-hitting, Canzone had been hitting .241 with a .726 OPS since taking over right field following the Leody Taveras experiment. Of note, Canzone's K rate over these 11 games is 13.3%, a big dip from 28.2% last year. Sending him down could also send a mixed message to a player who’s performed well.
A con: Canzone has Minor League options remaining, and like Raley, bats left-handed and also plays the position that Raley is more comfortable in compared to first base.
“Dom has been swinging it well, he's put up some good at-bats, and it's a good problem to have,” Wilson said. “The guy is swinging a bat well. And hopefully that continues for Dom, and we'll just continue to assess as we go.”
1B/DH Donovan Solano
A case: Solano’s turned things around after a brutal start to the season, hitting .346 with an .876 OPS since May 24, albeit in a limited role, as he’s started only eight of Seattle’s 22 games in that stretch -- including Wednesday, when he also made a nice diving stop. On paper, Solano would conceivably retain a first-base platoon with Raley assuming the lefty-hitting supplement. Solano is also the Mariners’ only external Major League free-agent signing from the offseason and is earning $3.5 million this season, meaning that if the club moved on, it’d eat the rest of his salary.
A con: Before this stretch began, Solano was slashing .138/.162/.169 (.331 OPS) and had seen his playing time dwindle massively.
“Donnie has been swinging the bat very well and has looked sharp at first, a nice diving stop today,” Wilson said. “It's good to see his bat coming [around].”
1B Rowdy Tellez
A case: Despite negatives from advanced metrics, Tellez has been their most defensively sound first baseman. And his .434 slugging percentage is third best on the team, while his 11 homers are tied with Jorge Polanco for second most. And like Solano, he’s accrued enough service time to decline an outright assignment to the Minors, meaning that the Mariners would have to move on from him altogether and the remainder of his $1.5 million salary, after signing a split Minors contract in Spring Training. Tellez has also created a positive clubhouse presence.
A con: If the Mariners are committed to playing Raley more regularly at first base, it’s hard to envision Tellez not being the odd man out, given that they both bat left-handed and possess a similar power profile.