DETROIT -- Kyle Seager missed his third consecutive start due to a sore right hip on Tuesday, but the Mariners third baseman continued to say the issue isn't serious and the club is just being careful at this early juncture in the season.
"I'd like to play, but it's being smart," said Seager, who missed just nine games in the previous four years combined. "It's a long season and instead of letting things nag, it might be something you can knock out in a few days. It's the smart move. But from a competitive standpoint, you want to be out there playing with your guys."
Seager had a pinch-hit triple Saturday in Oakland, and remains available off the bench as the Mariners open a three-game series with the Tigers.
Manager Scott Servais said Seager is day to day, and hinted that he might sit out Wednesday as well against left-hander Daniel Norris, but added he'll see how Seager is doing before making that decision.
"I'm sure he'd like to play through it, but I'm trying to be proactive on this thing and take that decision away from him," Servais said. "We have a lot of games left, and I would hate to lose him for a significant amount of time. So we'll be cautious right now."
Taylor Motter, who swung a hot bat in place of shortstop Jean Segura the previous 12 games, moved over to third with Segura returning Tuesday.

"No doubt, that makes it a little easier," Servais said. "Taylor has done a great job for us. We'll find a way to keep him in the lineup. The versatility he's got is really a plus. He almost turns into a Benjamin Zobrist-type player that you can put in all different spots on the field and he'll still give you a good at-bat. He's really valuable for us."
No rush on Cishek
Talk of getting reliever Steve Cishek back on the current road trip has slowed a bit with Cishek struggling in his last two rehab outings as he returns from October hip surgery.
The veteran right-hander allowed three hits and two runs in two-thirds of an inning Sunday for Double-A Arkansas after also only getting only two outs while giving up a single and two walks on Friday for Triple-A Tacoma.
"He needs to iron out some of the mechanical stuff," Servais said. "The ball isn't coming out of his hand as he'd like it to right now. He's going through Spring Training, it just happens to be in late April.
"When he comes up, we need him. We need him to be good right away. I'd like to use him in higher-leverage spots right away, and I'd like to make sure he's in a good spot before we do that."