INQUISITR.COM / Sports

Mitch Haniger Injury Update: Seattle Mariners Outfielder Ready For Return To Lineup

By Ryan DeVault
Published on: 22:22 PST, Jun 9, 2017

Mitch Haniger’s injury update reveals he is ready to return to the Seattle Mariners. Haniger will be the Mariners’ starting right fielder again, with the team prepared to take him off the disabled list this weekend. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Haniger was placed on the 10-day disabled list in late April with a strained right oblique. It was thought that he could return to the lineup quickly, but the Mariners ended up having to delay his rehab process in order to make sure that his injury fully healed.

A report by baseball analyst Greg Johns provided a succinct Mitch Haniger injury update, as the outfielder hit a home run for the Tacoma Rainiers on Friday night (June 10). That’s a great indication that not only is his oblique responding well in game situations, but that his timing at the plate is ready to go as well. The Mariners could activate him for the game on Saturday (June 10) against the Toronto Blue Jays or wait until Sunday (June 11) to make the roster move.

When Haniger comes off the disabled list, a player is going to have to be sent back to Tacoma. The most likely candidate is outfielder Boog Powell, who has been filling in on the roster over the past few weeks. Powell has appeared in 19 games for the Mariners, posting a 0.179 batting average in 35 plate appearances. When Mitch Haniger takes over as the full-time right fielder again, it means that Jarrod Dyson, Ben Gamel, and Guillermo Heredia will share time at the other outfield spots. It doesn’t leave much room for Powell on the roster.

Mitch Haniger has played in four rehab games for the Tacoma Rainiers so far, going 4-for-15 at the plate with a home run, two RBIs, and two walks to his credit. That’s probably enough at-bats to get him ready for Major League pitching, but the front office might let him have one more rehab game just to make sure. Since the Seattle Mariners are playing at Safeco Field and the Rainiers are still at home in Tacoma, the team has the luxury of either recalling him right away or putting off the decision until later in the weekend.

Getting Haniger back in the batting order could be a huge move for the Mariners, as he was one of the hottest hitters in baseball before going down with the oblique injury. Over his first 21 games with the team, Haniger had actually been leading the Mariners with a 1.7 WAR. The rest of his numbers were also All-Star worthy, as Haniger had a 0.342 batting average, 12 extra-base hits, 16 RBIs, and 20 runs scored in just 95 plate appearances.

The trade to acquire Mitch Haniger and Jean Segura from the Arizona Diamondbacks has already been paying huge dividends, even though the team had to give up a lot to acquire the two hitters. In exchange for Haniger and Segura, Mariners General Manager Jerry Dipoto traded shortstop Ketel Marte and starting pitcher Taijuan Walker to Arizona. It was a risky deal due to the promise that Walker had shown on the mound, but both Haniger and Segura have been hitting really well for the Mariners at the top of the lineup.

The Seattle Mariners will likely give an official update on the situation at some point on Saturday (June 10), with the possibility that Haniger is recalled from Tacoma and placed in the lineup to play against Marcus Stroman and the Toronto Blue Jays. It could give the offense an immediate boost, especially since Mariners manager Scott Servais has been trying out different strategies at the top of the order since Jean Segura was placed on the disabled list. Fantasy baseball owners should also pay close attention because it’s just about time to start Mitch Haniger in every league.

[Featured Image by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images]

Share this article: Mitch Haniger Injury Update: Seattle Mariners Outfielder Ready For Return To Lineup
Seattle Mariners
More from Inquisitr