Seattle Mariners Rumors: Injury Updates For Ben Gamel, Nelson Cruz, And Mike Zunino, Reported By Greg Johns
Seattle Mariners rumors about Nelson Cruz, Mike Zunino, and Ben Gamel continue on April 13. The three Mariners players are on the disabled list, but there had been rumors that all of them could return to the 25-man roster by this weekend. As Friday has arrived, there has still been no official word from the team about roster moves, suggesting that Mariners fans and fantasy baseball owners might have to wait a little while longer.
On April 11, Greg Johns reported that Nelson Cruz had a good day working out and doing some running. Cruz suffered a sprained ankle as he slipped on the dugout stairs following a home run he hit. According to Johns, Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais says that he’s hopeful Cruz can return to the lineup at some point this weekend. At the very latest, he is expected to be activated from the disabled list before the series against the Houston Astors begins on April 16.
Also on April 11, Johns reported that Ben Gamel had a good night for the Tacoma Rainiers, going 2-for-4 at the plate with four RBIs. At the time, it was stated that Gamel was expected to rejoin the Mariners on Friday night. A new report about Gamel came out on April 12, where Johns stated that Gamel is “not necessarily back with the Mariners tomorrow.” This has cast some doubt on whether the Mariners will activate him for Game 1 of the series against the Oakland Athletics.
Rocking my #BenGamel hat on air! Tonight is #GamelCap Night at the @Mariners game! #GoMariners pic.twitter.com/eUdWD4jO0k
— Steve Migs (@ImSteveMigs) April 13, 2018
One important facet about these Seattle Mariners rumors is that it is Ben Gamel Cap Night at Safeco Field on April 13. It would then make sense that the Mariners would have Gamel on hand and ready to play in the game. This has a lot of Mariners fans already assuming that he will get activated and be in the outfield again. If it does happen, then the Mariners will have to remove someone from the 25-man roster, possibly forcing the franchise to make some difficult choices.
As for catcher Mike Zunino, the expectation is that he will return before the end of the current homestand. Zunino was supposed to be the starting catcher for the Mariners this season, but he was injured in Spring Training and hasn’t seen the field yet. The team is trying to bring him along cautiously to make sure he doesn’t worsen the oblique problem. The Mariners have three games against the Oakland Athletics from April 13-15 before hosting the Houston Astros from April 16-19.
In related news, Ryan Healy (sprained ankle) and Erasmo Ramirez (lat strain) are looking to return around the third week of April. That’s coming up pretty soon as well, suggesting that when including Nelson Cruz, Mike Zunino, and Ben Gamel, that the team will have to remove five players currently on the 25-man roster in order to make room. Fans should expect a lot of additional Seattle Mariners rumors in that regard.
