Injuries & Moves: Ray upbeat early in recovery process
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May 13: LHP Robbie Ray feeling good early in rehab process
10 days after undergoing Tommy John surgery and a left flexor tendon repair, Robbie Ray is remaining upbeat as he begins his road back. So far, his rehab process consists mostly of wrist and hand movements, and he has begun straightening his left arm. He is likely to miss at least 14-18 months.
“It’s going to get long, and it’s going to feel like some days, it’s just never going to get better,” Ray said. “But I think for me, it’s just reaching that next milestone. Having a milestone each week … it gives you something to look forward to.”
INJURY UPDATES
10-day/15-day IL
LHP Robbie Ray (left flexor tendon injury, Tommy John surgery)
Expected return: 2024
Ray has returned to his home in Michigan and will be in a brace for eight weeks, Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said. The normal progression for his recovery, per surgeon Dr. Keith Meister, is to not begin throwing until at least six months following the procedure, which he underwent on May 3. Ray said on May 13 that 10 days after surgery, his rehab process so far consists mostly of wrist and hand movement, as well as gradually straightening his left arm.
Ray suffered the injury during the second inning of his 2023 debut. With the recovery period for Tommy John surgery typically spanning 12 to 18 months, Ray is unlikely to be ready by the beginning of Spring Training in 2024. (Last updated: May 13)
RHP Penn Murfee (right elbow inflammation)
Expected return: Possibly by May 20
Murfee was sidelined after experiencing discomfort in his right elbow, particularly after a May 3 outing in Oakland. Manager Scott Servais said before Seattle's May 12 game against Detroit that Murfee was throwing at the Mariners' complex in Peoria, Ariz.
"There’s a chance, if everything goes along, that he will meet us on this road trip,” Servais said. (Last updated: May 12)
RHP Andrés Muñoz (right deltoid strain)
Expected return: June
Muñoz "felt a little stiff and just couldn't do the things that he wanted to do comfortably," in a penultimate throwing program before beginning a Minors rehab assignment, per GM Justin Hollander, which prompted another MRI that revealed mild inflammation in his pitching shoulder but was otherwise structurally sound. The high-leverage reliever then received a platelet rich plasma injection on May 5, and if everything goes well from there, he'll begin throwing again on May 15 and could begin a Minors rehab at the end of May or beginning of June. Hollander said that there was no correlation between Muñoz's offseason right foot surgery and his latest issue. (Last updated: May 9)
UTIL Dylan Moore (core surgery)
Expected return: Late May
Moore has been working out at the club's Spring Training facility in Arizona strengthening the area where he underwent offseason core surgery, with the hope of beginning baseball activity later this week, and if all goes well, a Minors rehab assignment a week or so after that, per GM Justin Hollander. Moore pulled back from his rehab after just one game with High-A Everett after experiencing more pronounced pain in an area that has been bothering him since late August. (Last updated: May 9)
Minor Leagues
1B Evan White (Grade 2 left groin strain, hip surgery)
Expected return: August-September
White was slated to undergo surgery on his left hip, the same area he underwent a season-ending procedure in 2021, after extensive consultations with multiple specialists, his agent and the Mariners. Bryan T. Kelly of the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York will perform the procedure, with an estimated recovery time of three months. Two games into the Triple-A season, White suffered the injury when attempting to beat out a double play while running toward first base. It's the latest in a string of brutal breaks for the former first-round Draft pick, who was expected to contribute later this season. (Last updated: May 9)
RHP Easton McGee (right flexor strain)
Expected return: TBD
One day after he carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning of his MLB debut, McGee hit the shelf with the injury, which will have him shut down for at least two weeks, per Mariners GM Justin Hollander. After that, he'll undergo an MRI to determine if he needs more rest or is ready to begin a throwing program. (Last updated: May 9)
RHP Casey Sadler (right shoulder)
Expected return: TBD
After not feeling well at the end of Spring Training and still laboring through challenges into the regular season, it's possible that the reliable righty "might have to go a surgical route again," per Mariners GM Justin Hollander. (Last updated: May 9)