Mariners reliever Matt Festa will undergo Tommy John, miss 2020 season
Seattle Mariners right-handed reliever Matt Festa will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery, Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto announced Monday morning.
Festa, 26, is expected to miss 12-16 months following the surgery, which is scheduled for Thursday in New York.
Dipoto said Festa noted elbow discomfort after throwing a bullpen session at camp this spring, and the Mariners concluded surgery is “unavoidable.” Festa had passed his physical and displayed positive results pitching, but didn’t feel healthy.
“He’s in a really good frame of mind,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “I think anytime players have an issue and they don’t quite know what it is, knowing what it is helps. ‘OK, now here’s what I need to do to get better and get back and go from there.’ Matt has a great attitude all the time, and certainly he’ll tackle this one and he’ll be back.”
Festa, a seventh-round draft pick by Seattle in 2016, split last season between Seattle and Triple-A Tacoma. He finished 0-2 with a 5.64 ERA in 20 relief appearances with the Mariners, striking out 21 batters and walking 12. He was 1-1 with a 2.64 ERA in 23 games with the Rainiers.
He was designated for assignment on Feb. 3 when the Mariners claimed outfielder Jose Siri from the Reds. Festa cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A a week later and invited to major league camp.
“Matt certainly had his moments with us in the big leagues,” Servais said. “I feel bad for him, but he’ll get through it and he’ll be back. A lot of guys in that room have gone through it before. Oftentimes they come back stronger and maybe throwing a little harder.”
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREHow will we cover spring training in 2020?
The Seattle Mariners are ready to report to spring training and so is The News Tribune. Beat reporter Lauren Smith will be on the ground in Peoria, Ariz., from the first full squad practice. And our coverage will continue through the final roster decisions at the end of March, bringing fans the latest on the second year of Seattle’s rebuild. Click on the arrow in the top right for more.
Looking to the future
While the Mariners aren’t exactly expected to contend for a playoff spot in 2020, these six weeks of preseason workouts and games will give us a closer look at some of the top prospects — like outfielders Jarred Kelenic and Julio Rodriguez, and former first-round draft pick Logan Gilbert — expected to be key pieces of the club’s future, and some of the young players battling for Opening Day roster spots. We’ll also be able to catch up with the more experienced players — like veteran third-baseman Kyle Seager and ace pitcher Marco Gonzales — already in Seattle’s clubhouse.
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This story was originally published March 2, 2020 at 8:44 AM.
