Mariners place center fielder Kyle Lewis on 10-day IL with right meniscus tear
The injuries keep piling up for the Mariners.
The club entered the week leading the American League with 15 players on the injured list, and while some have returned to the active roster since, Seattle has placed another on the 10-day IL in center fielder Kyle Lewis.
Lewis was removed from Monday’s game against the A’s with discomfort in his right knee after trying to track down a long fly ball the wall in the eighth inning. He was placed on the IL on Tuesday afternoon with a right meniscus tear.
Mariners manager Scott Servais said pregame Tuesday he was not sure what Lewis’ next steps would be following his MRI results, or whether the tear would require surgery, and expected to know more in the coming days.
“The sad thing is he was on a great routine,” Servais said. “He was feeling really good. I know just talking to him daily it’s the best his legs have felt underneath him. We certainly saw what he was doing at the plate and the bat was really heating up. We’re going to miss him a ton.”
This is Lewis’ second stint on the IL this season. He opened 2021 on the 10-day IL with a bone bruise in the same knee after colliding with the outfield wall during a spring training game.
In the 36 games he played since returning on April 20, Lewis — the reigning AL Rookie of the Year — has hit .246/.333/.392 with 15 runs scored, four doubles, five home runs, 11 RBI, two stolen bases and 16 walks to 37 strikeouts. He has also started 34 games in center field.
The Mariners placed Lewis on the IL in a series of roster moves Tuesday that also included activating ace Marco Gonzales (left forearm strain) from the IL, recalling outfielder Taylor Trammell from Triple-A Tacoma and optioning reliever Robert Dugger to the Rainiers.
While Lewis is out, Jarred Kelenic, the club’s top prospect, will move into center and play the bulk of the innings there. The rookie outfielder has primarily played left field since he was promoted on May 13.
“He’s very comfortable in center field,” Servais said. “He loves playing center and he’s very capable.”
Trammell and Jake Fraley become the Mariners’ two primary options to fill the gap in left, while Mitch Haniger remains in his regular role in right.
Trammell — who was Seattle’s Opening Day center fielder during Lewis’ first trip to the IL this season, and appeared in 18 games there and nine more in left — returns to the club after hitting .384/.413/.726 with seven doubles, six home runs, 19 RBI, three stolen bases and 3 walks to 17 strikeouts in 17 games with the Rainiers.
He appeared in 27 games with the Mariners to open the season, hitting .157/.255/.337 with three doubles, four home runs, 11 RBI, two stolen bases and 10 walks to 41 strikeouts before he was optioned on May 13.
“He hadn’t played as well as he’d hoped to here, and he needed to start over,” Servais said. “And that’s exactly what he did. He just wiped the slate clean and went down there with a really good mental state and got after it and he produced right away.”
Fraley returned to the big league club Monday after spending nearly two months on the IL with a left hamstring strain. He has appeared in six games with Seattle this season, hitting .231/.583/.385 with two doubles, an RBI and a stolen base, and has drawn 10 walks to three strikeouts.
Despite the injury turnover the Mariners have endured during the first two months of the season, the club was on a season-best five-game winning streak entering Tuesday’s game against Oakland, and Servais noted the opportunities that younger players have had early on to contribute.
“We’ve stepped up to the challenge so far,” he said. “I’m really proud of our group. Guys have a lot to prove. Young players always do. They want to prove their worth in this league and certainly for our club going forward.
“And I think we’re fun to watch. We are entertaining. We keep games close.”
This story was originally published June 1, 2021 at 4:32 PM.
