Late arrivals Mallex Smith, Dylan Moore, Joe Hudson eased into Mariners workouts
With less than two weeks remaining until they open the season on the road in Houston, the Seattle Mariners finally have a nearly full camp.
Three more players, including two who played regularly for Seattle last season, reported Monday after clearing health protocols.
Mallex Smith, last year’s starting center fielder, and utility player Dylan Moore were seen playing catch in the outfield ahead of Monday afternoon’s intrasquad game, and were later joined by backup catcher Joe Hudson.
Mariners manager Scott Servais said during his daily video call with reporters Tuesday they will complete at least three days of workouts before they appear in an intrasquad game.
“I think it’s the right thing to do,” Servais said. “Those guys have just been hanging out. They have not been doing a lot of baseball activity here recently, so we’ve got to be smart in how we ramp them up.”
Could any of them be ready by Opening Day on July 24?
“I hope so,” Servais said. “They’ll let us know and see how quick they’re able to make adjustments and get up to the speed of the game, and adjust to the pitching and things like that. …
“We’ll just have to wait and see how it plays out.”
Smith played in 134 games for the Mariners last season, including 106 in center, and led the majors in stolen bases with 46.
Seattle remains short on outfielders with former All-Star Mitch Haniger still working his way back from injuries, meaning Smith should resume his regular role if he can ramp up by the time the Mariners leave for Houston next week.
Prospects Kyle Lewis and Jake Fraley are also projected to start the season on Seattle’s 30-man roster. The Mariners also have Braden Bishop, who logged big league time last year, as an option.
Top prospects like Jarred Kelenic and Julio Rodriguez are in camp and playing regularly in intrasquad games. Neither is expected to make the Opening Day roster, though Kelenic is making a convincing argument for why he should be included.
Moore, who appeared in 113 games with the Mariners last season as a rookie, and played every position but catcher at least once, was one of several players in a utility battle when spring training was shut down in March.
Seattle has some flexibility starting with a 30-man roster, and will likely carry multiple utility players. Veteran Dee Gordon, who moved into a utility role to make way for Shed Long Jr. to get an extended look at second base this season, will fit into one of those spots.
The Mariners are also looking at Tim Lopes, who debuted last season and was their hottest hitter this spring, and offseason pickups Sam Haggerty, Jose Marmolejos and Patrick Wisdom as options for versatility.
“They understand coming in, maybe if they were on the bubble, those last couple spots you try to determine at the end of spring training, the bubble is going to be bigger,” Servais said just after camp opened.
“You’ve got 30 players to break camp with. … Guys are very aware what the roster looks like, what their situation is, and they need to perform.”
The Mariners signed Hudson to a minor league contract in January, and he becomes the fifth catcher to arrive at camp, joining presumed starters Tom Murphy and Austin Nola, offseason waiver claim Brian O’Keefe and top catching prospect Cal Raleigh.
Apart from Murphy and Nola, Hudson is the only other catcher in the 60-man player pool with big league experience, appearing in nine games the past two seasons for the Angels and Cardinals. O’Keefe and Raleigh haven’t played above Double-A.
Veteran reliever Yoshihisa Hirano, who signed with the Mariners in January, is now the only player in the player pool who has not been seen on the field since camp opened July 3.
He was placed on the injured list Tuesday evening, though without an injury designation or time frame.
SHORT HOPS
The Mariners played their fifth intrasquad game Tuesday with the Steelheads topping the Pilots, 4-3, in five innings. The Steelheads remain undefeated in the intrasquad series, leading 4-0-1. … Murphy was hit in the leg by a foul ball in the second inning and was later removed from the game. … Starter Yusei Kikuchi struggled to find his command in his first intrasquad outing, completing three “innings” on 54 pitches. He allowed four runs on four hits, including a solo homer to Evan White, and walked four batters while striking out one. He recorded just one out in his second inning before reaching his pitch limit. … White’s homer for the Steelheads was his first of intrasquad play. Kyle Seager also launched a two-run homer in the first inning off Nick Margevicius for the Pilots. … Relievers Anthony Misiewicz, Dan Altavilla, Joey Gerber, Austin Adams and Matt Magill also pitched.
ON TAP
The Mariners will play their sixth intrasquad game Wednesday, beginning at 2:45 p.m. The game will be streamed live on the Mariners’ YouTube and Twitch channels.
