SEATTLE – Seattle Mariners infielder/designated hitter Jorge Polanco is dealing with swelling in his left knee that has kept him out of the starting lineup the past three days.
General manager Justin Hollander said Monday that Polanco is available off the bench and the club anticipates he will be ready to return to the lineup Tuesday.
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The swelling in Polanco’s knee – which is the same one he had surgery on during the offseason – is the result of a play from the opening series from the Mariners’ recent road trip. The switch-hitting Polanco tripped over first base while trying to run out a groundball June 22 against the Cubs, but the swelling didn’t crop up until later in the road trip.
Hollander said Polanco checked in with his doctor in Dallas while the team played its series at the Texas Rangers over the weekend to make sure there was no further damage done to his knee.
Here are a few other updates Hollander provided Monday:
• Right-hander Bryce Miller, who has a bone spur in his pitching elbow, has started a throwing progression but has yet to begin throwing off a mound. The right-hander’s timeline for return hasn’t changed. If Miller’s recovery process goes well, he could return in mid-to-late July.
• The timeline also hasn’t changed for right fielder Victor Robles, who isn’t expected to return to major league game action until at least September. Robles has been out since early April after suffering a fractured humeral head and dislocation in his left shoulder while making a spectacular catch at Oracle Park in San Francisco.
• Right-handed reliever Gregory Santos threw three light bullpens of about 10 pitches each last week that Hollander called “more touch-and-feel than anything.” Santos went on the IL with right knee inflammation in late April and had surgery to address the issue. Hollander said Santos could return by the end of July.
• Right-handed reliever Collin Snider is scheduled to throw a live batting practice Tuesday at T-Mobile Park and could return to the field by mid-July. Snider went on the IL with a right forearm flexor strain June 4.
• Left-handed reliever Tayler Saucedo is scheduled to rejoin Triple-A Tacoma Tuesday for the first time since going on the IL May 3. Saucedo, who began the season on Seattle’s opening-day roster, is on the IL with a left lat strain.
• No changes have occurred for the return timeline of second baseman Ryan Bliss, who was expected to miss four to five months with a torn left biceps suffered in early April.
The Mariners open a six-game homestand at 6:40 p.m. Monday in the first of three games against the Kansas City Royals. Radio coverage on Seattle Sports begins at 5:30 with the pregame show.
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