SEATTLE -- Mariners top prospect Kyle Lewis hasn't played in the first six games of the Arizona Fall League as he works to strengthen his surgically repaired right knee, but the young outfielder is expected to begin seeing action for the Peoria Javelinas next week.
Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said Lewis is halfway through a previously planned two-week strengthening program on the knee, which required extensive surgery in July 2016 after a home-plate collision while playing for the Short-A Everett AquaSox.
Lewis is currently working out in the gym and training room at the Mariners' facility, before joining the AFL club.
The 22-year-old returned in midseason this past year and played 11 games for the Mariners' Arizona Rookie League squad and 44 for Class A Advanced Modesto. He posted a .255/.323/.403 line with six home runs and 24 RBIs in 149 at-bats in 38 games while finishing up the regular season in Modesto.
Lewis then capped his season by batting .393/.414/.607 with a home run, a triple, a double and six RBIs in six playoff games in helping Modesto win the California League title.
Lewis, an outfielder, was the 11th overall selection in the 2016 Draft out of Mercer University and is Seattle's top-ranked prospect per MLBPipeline.com. He was one of eight Mariners prospects selected to play in the Fall League, which runs through Nov. 16.
The other Mariners participating in the AFL are right-handed pitchers Max Povse, Matthew Festa, Darrin Gillies and Art Warren, catcher Joe DeCarlo, outfielder/first baseman Eric Filia and outfielder Braden Bishop.
Filia has been Peoria's hottest hitter out of the gate, batting .500 (8-for-16) with three doubles, a triple and five RBIs in his first five games. The 25-year-old was a 20th-round Draft pick out of UCLA in 2016 and posted a .326/.407/.434 line with five homers and 59 RBIs in 128 games for Modesto this past season while playing mostly right field, along with 12 games at first base.
Filia has played two games at first base for Peoria, but has seen most of his time in right field and was there again in Monday's 6-2 win against Salt River as he went 2-for-4 with a double, sacrifice fly and two RBIs.
Bishop, a former University of Washington standout who was drafted in the third round in 2015, is 1-for-8 with a walk and three strikeouts in four games for Peoria. He is Seattle's No. 5 prospect per MLBPipeline.com.
DeCarlo, a second-round pick in 2012, is working on converting from third base to catcher and has played just once this fall, going 0-for-3 with a strikeout.
Among the Mariners' pitchers, Povse (Seattle's No. 9 prospect) made his first start last week and took the loss after allowing three hits and two runs in three innings in Wednesday's 5-4 setback to Glendale, with one walk and four strikeouts.
Warren threw a scoreless inning of relief Monday and now has two scoreless frames while giving up one hit and two walks in two outings. Gillies had a perfect inning with a strikeout out of the bullpen Monday and has allowed two hits and a run in two innings, while Festa gave up two hits and a run in one frame Monday and has allowed four hits and three runs with two walks and four strikeouts in his first two appearances.
The Peoria club is made up of players from five MLB organizations, with the Mariners joined by the Braves, Red Sox, Padres and Blue Jays.