MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Seattle Mariners say they will have a better idea on the projected length of Robinson Cano’s recovery time after the second baseman is examined by a hand specialist in Philadelphia on Tuesday.
The eight-time All-Star broke the pinkie finger of his right hand when hit by a pitch from left-hander Blaine Hardy on Sunday at the Detroit.
Cano is batting .287 with four homers, 23 RBIs and a .385 on-base percentage in 39 games this season.
“Any team that’s going to lose their three-hole hitter, nobody’s got somebody to just step in and replace that guy,” manager Scott Servais said Monday. “Guys around him, throughout our lineup, really throughout the whole ball club, kind of need to step up.”
Seattle put Cano on the 10-day disabled list and recalled infielder Gordon Beckham from Tacoma of the Triple-A International League. The 31-year-old Beckham hit .300 with four homers and 15 RBIs in 25 games at Tacoma. He has played part of nine seasons with the Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels, Atlanta, San Francisco, and Seattle.
Beckham hit .176 in 11 games for the Mariners last season. He lost out to Andrew Romine during spring training for a utility infielder job.
“He was probably one of the tougher cuts we had to make in spring training,” Servais said.
