Seattle Mariners: Drew Smyly Scratched from Spring Start with Arm Issue
By Tim Haberin
The start of Seattle Mariners lefty Drew Smyly’s season could be in jeopardy as he deals with what his manager is calling a “soggy” arm.
Managers and coaches have come up with many inventive ways to describe injuries, but Seattle Mariners skipper Scott Servais may be the first to refer to a pitcher’s ailing arm as “soggy.” The hurler in question is Drew Smyly. According to the Seattle Times’ Ryan Divish, the left-hander was scratched from a scheduled Spring Training start on Friday as he deals with the arm issue.
Servais was decidedly vague in providing information about Smyly’s situation. Per Divish:
"“He didn’t feel great coming out of his bullpen yesterday,” [said] manager Scott Servais on Wednesday morning. “We need to get a feel for where he’s at.”Servais wouldn’t go into specifics of what was ailing Smyly’s arm whether it was the shoulder or elbow.“It’s just a little soggy,” he said."
Smyly was due to meet with the team’s orthopedist yesterday, but as of now there have been no updates on his condition. Divish reports that regardless of the evaluation, the Mariners intend to shut the southpaw down for several days.
This kind of uncertainty surrounding one of your rotation members right before Opening Day certainly isn’t ideal, but Seattle will hope it’s not a major issue for Smyly. As Divish notes, he’s had shoulder problems before, culminating in a torn labrum in May 2015 that he treated with rehab.
A possible injury to Smyly is doubly frustrating to the M’s considering they went out and traded for him from the Rays during the offseason. Seattle acquired the 27-year-old lefty in exchange for Mallex Smith, Ryan Yarbrough and Carlos Vargas.
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Smyly is coming off a disappointing year in Tampa Bay. He posted a 4.88 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 3.41 K/BB ratio over 175.1 innings. His 4.49 FIP was only marginally better. Smyly enjoyed superior numbers in 2015, although the torn labrum limited him to just 12 outings: 3.11 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 3.85 K/BB.
He had also shown promise earlier in his five-year big league career. Smyly managed a 2.37 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in 76 innings out of the Tigers bullpen in 2013. The following season he produced a 3.24 ERA and 1.16 WHIP across 28 appearances (25 starts) between the Tigers and Rays.
The Mariners hope Smyly (who’s under team control through 2018) can bounce back for them, and pitcher-friendly Safeco Field could be a good place for him to do so. He generated a 49.3 percent fly ball rate last year (44.5 percent in his career), and that should play better in Seattle’s home ballpark.
Smyly pitched for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, tossing 4.2 innings with one unearned run and eight strikeouts in a start against Venezuela. He’s been less sharp in Spring Training, putting up a 5.00 ERA and 1.44 WHIP in nine innings over three starts.
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Smyly has been slated to serve as the Mariners’ fourth starter to begin the season, but if he’s forced to miss time, it could present an opportunity for fellow left-hander Ariel Miranda. Divish mentions Chris Heston (of no-hitter fame) and Dillon Overton as other possibilities.