SEATTLE -- One day after crushing a 428-foot homer on an ailing right hamstring, Dominic Canzone was out of the Mariners’ lineup as they looked to win their second straight and take a series victory on Tuesday against the Angels.
But that was by design.
The Mariners wanted to give the slugger two full days of rest, also accounting for Wednesday’s quirky, mid-series off-day due to the FIFA World Cup being played across the street.
The same goes for Luke Raley, who was sidelined for the third straight game with left forearm discomfort but remains on track to avoid the injured list, per Mariners manager Dan Wilson.
“Hopefully get them some really good rest here and as we pick up towards the end of the week, they'll be ready to roll,” Wilson said, adding Canzone likely would not be available off the bench.
Both Canzone and Raley have pushed to play through their respective conditions, but doing so could come with situations like Tuesday, where they necessitate a day off.
Here’s what Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said about each on Monday:
- Canzone: “We'll just see where it goes over a period of days. ... There may be some down days where he just needs a day between now and the All-Star break, so we'll just monitor that as it goes.”
- Raley: “Luke is pretty adamant that he can and wants to play through it. Luke is about the toughest player I've ever seen. ... So, if he says, ‘I can and want to play through it,’ my guess is he will.”
Canzone has been the Mariners’ hottest hitter of late, hitting .314 with a 1.028 OPS and six homers in June. Raley, however, has cooled some, hitting .125 with a .397 OPS this month, though he’s still tied with Julio Rodríguez for the team lead in homers, with 14.
Additionally, Randy Arozarena made his second start at designated hitter since returning from the IL on June 23 -- also in a by-design effort, to get the left fielder off his feet for two straight days.
That moved Victor Robles to left field, while Weston Wilson made his first start in right.
Arozarena is 4-for-25 (.160) with one double and one homer since returning from the right hamstring strain that landed him on the IL earlier this month.
“With Randy, having had the hamstring a little earlier, a chance for him to get a little bit of a break today and be more to the DH,” Wilson said. “So whenever we can get these guys as much rest as we can, we're going to try to do that, and this was a good day for that.”
The club also added a bullpen reinforcement on Tuesday, recalling right-hander Cole Wilcox from Triple-A Tacoma and optioning lefty Josh Simpson to Tacoma in a corresponding move.
That decision was due to the right-handed-heavy lineups that the Mariners will face for the remainder of the homestand, between the Angels and Blue Jays.
Simpson joined the Mariners over the weekend in Cleveland, primarily due to the Guardians stacking so many lefties. He made just one appearance, surrendering the game-winning double to Rhys Hoskins in Sunday’s gut-punch loss.
This will be Wilcox’s second stint with the Mariners, having first joined the club one day after Opening Day, when Carlos Vargas was placed on the IL. He made 11 appearances his first time around, with a 5.40 ERA, 12 walks and 15 strikeouts before being optioned on May 4. Since then, he holds a 5.03 ERA with 24 strikeouts and six walks in 17 appearances with Tacoma.