BALTIMORE -- The banged-up Mariners had to like what they saw in the Pacific Northwest on Tuesday, when Cal Raleigh crushed a pair of homers upon transitioning his rehab assignment to Triple-A Tacoma.
But on the big league front, they were still navigating a few key injuries on their season-high 10-game road trip -- most notably to Colt Emerson.
The organization’s No. 1 prospect by MLB Pipeline was out of the lineup for the second straight day at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Tuesday due to the back spasm he suffered during groundball drills on Monday.
Seattle’s bullpen also took a hit, as Cooper Criswell was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder strain, which led the club to recall fellow righty Nick Davila from Triple-A Tacoma.
J.P. Crawford also revealed that he underwent a CT scan on Tuesday morning and was still awaiting its results. Although swelling has subsided to his right hand contusion that landed him on the IL on Monday, he’s still not able to comfortably grip a bat.
Here’s a breakdown of each development:
Raleigh homers twice
The Mariners must’ve loved the two massive swings from the left side that Raleigh unleashed for balls that easily cleared the fence.
But they were probably just as thrilled that the all-world catcher squatted behind the plate for five innings, marking his first time at the position since reaggravating his right oblique strain and landing on the IL on May 14.
The first homer was a two-run shot in his first at-bat, off a first-pitch cutter from former Mariners starter Erasmo Ramírez, which Raleigh blasted a Statcast-projected 326 feet and 104 mph off the bat. The second was a grand slam against reliever Victor Juarez, off a 1-0 changeup that Raleigh dug out below the zone.
Both swings looked pretty seamless, which highlighted the strength that Raleigh appears to have regained. The last hurdle is always timing, which is why he’s expected to remain at Tacoma through the week, after which the club will reassess his status.
They’re tentatively targeting a return when the club returns to T-Mobile Park for its next homestand next Tuesday.
Emerson ‘seems to be better’
The 20-year-old infielder was seen wearing a brace-like piece of equipment that extended from his back and around his core area early Tuesday, after which he retreated to the athletic trainer’s room for further treatment.
He did not undergo imaging away from the ballpark, per Mariners manager Dan Wilson, and he also did not go through any pregame drills.
“He's still day-to-day right now, and he seems to be better today than he was yesterday,” Wilson said. “So that's a really positive thing, and we'll just keep monitoring as we go. I think he definitely took a step forward yesterday. So that's good.”
That said, Emerson was not expected to be available off the bench Tuesday, and to account for a potential roster need, infielder Miles Mastrobuoni arrived and was on the club’s taxi squad. Mastrobuoni is on the 60-day IL with a calf strain but has played in eight games on a rehab assignment at Tacoma.
“We figured one more day is a good idea,” Wilson said, “and we'll just continue to assess as he gets the rest.”
With Emerson sidelined, Cole Young made his second career start at shortstop in as many days, and Ryan Bliss assumed second base. Bliss, who was seen taking grounders at shortstop, would presumably be their emergency shortstop, now that the Mariners are down their top two on the positional depth chart.
Criswell to IL
Shortly after the Mariners’ bullpen was reaching full strength, they’ve lost one of their more versatile relievers with Criswell hitting the shelf.
Criswell recorded four outs in Monday’s win in relief of Emerson Hancock, as he’s been their primary multi-inning guy. He’s also been installed in higher-leverage pockets at times. Criswell has a 3.52 ERA, 23 strikeouts and eight walks in 30 2/3 innings, to go with a 60.2% groundball rate.
That opened the door for Davila, who made a decent impression over seven outings since he debuted earlier this season. Overall, he was scoreless in 7 1/3 innings with four strikeouts and six walks before being optioned to Tacoma on May 26.