A Mike Zunino injury update is not what the Seattle Mariners wanted to provide fans with on Opening Day. Zunino had already been in the lineup for the Mariners, but manager Scott Servais had some bad news as the team got ready to open against the Cleveland Indians. A report by MLB analyst Greg Johns revealed that Zunino was still suffering some stiffness in his right side on Thursday, March 29, leading the team to take a very safe approach with its starting catcher.
It was reported that Zunino didn’t feel right during his final swing during batting practice on March 28, and the problem didn’t clear up on game day. The good news from this Mike Zunino injury update is that the team doesn’t feel it is going to be a serious issue. This means he could be back in the lineup as early as Saturday, March 31, when the Mariners play the second game of their season against the Indians.
Entering the Seattle Mariners’ Opening Day lineup will be backup catcher Mike Marjama, who will be tasked with calling the pitches for former Cy Young Award winner Felix Hernandez. As previously reported by the Inquisitr , this will be the 10th consecutive Opening Day start for Hernandez. He is quickly racing up the all-time list for starts to open a Major League Baseball season. The Mariners are now hoping he can translate that into a victory for the Safeco Field crowd on Thursday night.
#HappyFélixDay pic.twitter.com/ZDW3Sa2537
— Mariners (@Mariners) March 29, 2018
During the 2017 season for the Seattle Mariners, it had appeared that Mike Zunino was finally figuring things out at the plate. In 60 games during the second half of the season, Zunino posted a.281 batting average, 13 home runs, 28 RBIs, and a.943 OPS that really showed he had figured out his power swing. Zunino had an OPS+ of 149 that would certainly be a welcome addition to the 2018 lineup. Now he just needs to get healthy enough to play regularly again.
For his role, Mike Marjama has only had nine at-bats over his career, but he also has hits in three of them. The 28-year-old catcher will be making his first Opening Day start for his Major League career and he will be tasked with performing well under pressure. Though this Mike Zunino injury update rules him out for the first game of the season, fans will still get to see Dee Gordon debut in center field and Ichiro Suzuki make his return to the Safeco Field grass.
