CINCINNATI -- The Mariners placed Ketel Marte on the 15-day disabled list on Sunday after the shortstop suffered a sprained left thumb in Saturday's 4-0 win against the Reds at Great American Ball Park.
Marte was injured when he slid head first into second base while stealing the bag in the fifth inning. It is the same thumb he fractured last season while playing for Triple-A Tacoma. Marte feared he had again broken the thumb, but X-rays showed no fracture.
"Everything indicates that it shouldn't be anything longer than 15 days with Marte. It's not as bad as originally thought," manager Scott Servais said. "He's certainly playing at a very high level, and we love having him in our lineup. Every team has to deal with this stuff. It's happened to numerous teams throughout the league. This is kind of the first time it's hit us with an everyday player, but you plan for these things, having guys who can come up and fill a role."
The Mariners have recalled Chris Taylor from Tacoma. Shawn O'Malley, who replaced Marte in the bottom of the fifth inning on Saturday, was in the starting lineup Sunday.
Taylor was hitting .294/.374/.464 this season for Tacoma. He has played parts of the last two seasons with the Mariners, hitting .239/.296/.296 in 84 career games. Taylor played Friday night for Tacoma at home against Iowa, going 1-for-4 with a RBI in the Rainiers' 9-4 win. He was in the original lineup for Saturday's game but scratched prior to game time in preparation to travel east.
The Mariners chose Taylor over Luis Sardinas, who beat out Taylor for a spot on the Opening Day roster out of Spring Training. Sardinas was optioned to Tacoma on May 14 and replaced on the roster by O'Malley the next day.
Marte is hitting .276/.307/.378 in his first full season in the Major Leagues. He made his debut with the Mariners last July 31. Since April 21, he has hit safely in 21 of 28 games with an average of .310, 18 runs scored, nine doubles, two triples, one home run and 13 RBIs.
Marte was not wearing a protective pad on his hand when he was injured.
"He has a protective pad. I guess he doesn't wear it sometimes," said Servais." "So he will be encouraged to wear it."
Servais said he expects doctors to re-evaluate Marte when the team returns to Seattle following Sunday's finale of a two-city, six-game road trip, although he doesn't believe that to include an MRI.
"I'm pretty sure this is what it is," said Servais. "But if it's anything on your hand, you try to put a bat in your hand and with the vibration and everything else it's concerning. Hopefully we'll get the swelling out of there and have him back in no time."