Mariners place starter Kendall Graveman on 10-day IL with neck spasm
Mariners starter Kendall Graveman’s comeback season has taken an unwelcome detour.
After dealing with neck discomfort in his first two starts for Seattle this season, the veteran right-hander was placed on the 10-day injured list with a neck spasm Tuesday. The placement is retroactive to Aug. 3.
Graveman said following Sunday’s start the neck issue is something he’s dealt with “for quite some time now.” It initially flared up during his first start in Houston last week, and continued to bother him his second time out against the A’s.
He met with doctors Monday and Mariners manager Scott Servais said Graveman would undergo more tests Tuesday to “figure out what’s the right treatment to go towards to try to clean this up and calm it down as quick as possible.”
“Halfway through the Houston start it kind of gave me some trouble,” Graveman said Sunday. “This week was OK. But, getting out and competing, you just try to bear down and make pitches, grit your teeth.
“I’ve been told it can’t get any worse than what it is, so just praying for hopefully healing, and seen a lot of doctors for it, but continue to move forward and hopefully get some answers.”
Servais commended Graveman on battling through his second start without the crispness or velocity he had during spring training or summer camp.
Despite the discomfort, he threw well, completing four scoreless innings before eventually finishing allowing two runs on three hits with two walks and three strikeouts on 96 pitches in 4 2/3 innings.
“Pretty impressive for him to really gut it out that way,” Servais said. “It was affecting him quite a bit.”
Graveman’s 8.31 ERA, two losses and season line — nine runs (eight earned) on nine hits with two homers, five walks and 10 strikeouts across 8 2/3 innings — in his first two starts since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2018 don’t accurately reflect how well he’s controlled opponents in spots.
Servais noted Monday the importance of Graveman’s presence in Seattle’s young clubhouse.
“He’s been huge in our clubhouse,” Servais said. “A veteran guy that has been around, been in a couple different organizations, really believes in what we’re doing here and helps driving our messaging with young players, is really important.
“I’ll never forget, we sit down with players and we do player plan meetings in spring training. I didn’t sit in every one this year, in past years I have, but he was the one that I did want to sit in, and he came into his player plan meeting and he opened up a folder and he explained to us what he does, and things he’s learned over the years, and it was very impressive.
“You just don’t see that from players. Most guys come in and say, ‘Hey, what do you got for me?’ Not that way at all. Kendall is very prepared. He’s a real pro. … He prepares the right way, he’s a good teammate and hopefully we can get him back as soon as possible.”
With Graveman’s next start scheduled for Saturday against the Rockies in doubt, Seattle will likely lean on offseason acquisition Nick Margevicius, who debuted with the Padres primarily as a starter last season, but has been pitching for the Mariners out of the bullpen.
The left-hander appeared in 17 games (12 starts) for San Diego last season compiling a 2-6 record and 6.79 ERA across 57 innings with 12 home runs allowed, 19 walks and 42 strikeouts. In three relief appearances with Seattle this summer, he has a 5.40 ERA in five innings with two homers allowed, one walk and five strikeouts.
“Marge is pitching multiple innings and he’s been a starter,” Servais said Tuesday during his pregame video call with reporters. “We could use Marge tonight out of the bullpen if we needed him. If we don’t need him, we won’t use him obviously and we’ll get him kind of prepared if he needs to make that start on Saturday.
“That’s where we’re leaning right now. That’s not final, but that’s what we’ve discussed.”
Servais noted he believes it’s important for the Mariners to maintain the six-man rotation they started the season with so Marco Gonzales, Taijuan Walker and Yusei Kikuchi can pitch deeper in ballgames and still get adequate rest between outings after a short ramp up to the season, and their rookie starters Justus Sheffield and Justin Dunn have more time to build up and prepare.
“I think it’s beneficial for those guys,” Servais said.
In corresponding roster moves, the Mariners selected reliever Joey Gerber from their alternate training site in Tacoma and recalled reliever Taylor Guilbeau.
Both will be available for Seattle’s series opener Tuesday night against the Angels.
Guilbeau has pitched in one game for the Mariners this season allowing one run on two hits with a walk in his only inning of work against the Astros.
Gerber will make his major league debut in his first appearance. An eighth-round pick by Seattle in 2018 out of Illinois, he pitched for both High-A Modesto and Double-A Arkansas last season finishing with a 2.59 ERA as a back end reliever. He appeared in 44 games, finished 25 and earned eight saves. Across 48 2/3 innings he recorded 69 strikeouts to 19 walks.
Gerber was a candidate to make Seattle’s original Opening Day roster after posting five scoreless outings in spring training, but the COVID-19 pandemic squashed that possibility. The 23-year-old right-hander was one of several prospects invited to summer camp and has been working out with Seattle’s other reserves at Cheney Stadium for the past week.
“Like Joey a lot,” Servais said. “He had an outstanding season last year, ended the year in Double-A. He does it differently. He’s a big-bodied guy who can throw really hard. He throws a ton of strikes even though you’re going to watch his delivery and say, ‘How does he do it?’
“He’s a reliever and he’s got good feel for what he’s doing. It’s fastball-slider. It’s a good fastball, you’ll see it 94-96 mph, he likes to kind of ride it up in the zone which can be very effective. I think he’s going to surprise some people because his delivery is very deceptive. It’s going to take hitters a little while to see him and get comfortable against him.”
With the addition of Gerber, Seattle’s 40-man roster is now full at 40 players.
Reliever Zac Grotz, who recorded a 12.00 ERA in his first four appearances with Seattle this season, was optioned to the alternate training site following Monday night’s loss to the A’s.
This story was originally published August 4, 2020 at 2:51 PM.
