We have some bad news for the Seattle Mariners.
As if their bad start to the season wasn't enough, now the Mariners have lost their ace for the upcoming games. Per Jon Morosi of Fox Sports, Felix Hernandez has been placed in the 10-day DL with a shoulder injury. The Venezuelan pitcher felt some discomfort during his last start against the Detroit Tigers, and left the game after only two innings of work. He gave up four runs on six hits and two walks during those two frames.
What does this mean for Seattle?
Well, first of all this means the Mariners will have even more troubles in the coming weeks.
The DL stint means Hernandez will miss at least one start - on Sunday against the Cleveland Indians - but there won't be a timetable until he gets an MRI on his shoulder. Considering the Mariners are on the road and that Hernandez stayed in Seattle, the exams should come during the week.
Seattle manager Scott Servais offered some positive thoughts, though. He said Hernandez's injury could be classified as a "dead arm", so there's a big chance he could be back in action sooner than later. His next start is scheduled for May 6 against the Texas Rangers, and there's no question Seattle would like to have him on the mound. After all, the Rangers are one of the teams to beat in the AL West despite their recent bullpen woes, and not having your ace in such an important contest could conspire against Seattle.
Hernandez is clearly their best pitcher
"The King" is the Mariners' workhorse and there's no question his asbence will be felt among the pitching staff. Even though the season didn't start as well as he would've liked, he is still the ace of the team, and he's coming off an Opening Day nod that certifies that status.
Numbers wise, Hernandez has been the best pitcher for the Mariners during the past decade.
And he currently has a 2-2 record to go along with a 4.73 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 2017. There's no question we've seen better days from him, but that doesn't change the fact that the Mariners need him at full speed if they want to contend for, at least, a Wild Card spot. In 2016, Hernandez had an 11-8 mark with a 3.82 ERA and 122 punchouts in 153.1 innings of work.
Corresponding roster move
With Hernandez on the DL, the Mariners called up Chase De Jong from Triple-A Tacoma, and he will take Hernandez' spot in the rotation whle the Venezuelan is out. But if he holds his own, then don't be surprised if the stays on the big league roster for the long run. After all, you never have too many arms, especially in the American League.
