Seattle Mariners send Zunino to DL; call up David Freitas

An oblique injury lands Seattle Mariners catcher Mike Zunino on the DL, and a pair of longtime minor leaguers will take over catching duties.

One of the bright spots for the Seattle Mariners during the second half of last season and during spring training early this year was catcher Mike Zunino. He hit .281/.376/.568 after the 2017 All-Star break and .395/.458/.791 this spring. Unfortunately, the injury bug that has surrounded the Mariners this year hit Zunino recently. He was placed on the DL with an oblique strain on Friday.

The potential good news is that the DL move was made retroactive to March 27, which could allow Zunino to miss just four games if he’s healthy after the 10 days. When Zunino was not in the lineup on Opening Day, it was reported by Greg Johns that he “felt some stiffness” in his right side during batting practice and the injury wasn’t “believed to be serious.”

Of course, with injuries, you never know. According to MLB’s injury glossary, hitters typically take 27 days to recover from a Grade 1 oblique strain. A Grade-1 strain is considered a mild strain, with Grade-2 being moderate and Grade-3 three being severe. The Mariners can survive without Zunino for a week or so. If he’s out a month or more, that’s a problem.

With Zunino unable to play on Opening Day, the Mariners turned to backup catcher Mike Marjama, who is becoming a fan favorite. Marjama has a fascinating past that includes his battle with an eating disorder that started in eighth grade.

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He’s been open about the struggles he went through in the hopes that his experience will help others who struggle with eating disorders. He tells his story in a short documentary film for LeBron James’ multimedia platform for athletes, Uninterrupted.

Filling in for Zunino on Opening Day, Marjama took his place behind the dish for Felix Hernandez’ 10^th Opening Day start in front of more than 47,000 fans. In the top of the second inning he was hit in the hand on a swing by Edwin Encarnacion, but as he said after the game, there was no way he was coming out.

“If it’s dislocated, broken – we’ll tape it to another finger and just get going. So really there was no option, so had to suck it up. It’s part of the game.”

The Mariners gutted out a 2-1 victory behind Felix Hernandez and five relievers. Marjama was 0-for-3 at the plate, but his work behind the dish was much more critical. After the game, Mariners manager Scott Servais said of Marjama,

“MVP of the game for me. After the game, Marjama tweeted about it, saying, “What an Opening Night!! A moment I’ll cherish the rest of my life!”

Marjama will likely get the bulk of the time at catcher for the M’s, with new arrival David Freitas backing him up. Freitas was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma when Zunino was placed on the DL, and he’s expected to hit about as well as Marjama. Neither will provide much on offense. The Fangraphs Depth Charts have Marjama projected to hit .237/.280/.379 (76 wRC+) and Freitas to hit .232/.290/.343 (73 wRC+). They’re basically the same player on offense, and neither will provide the 25-homer power of Zunino.

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It’s a terrible blow for the team after a great Opening Day victory. On the bright side the Mariners had a day off on Friday and now sit 1-0 and atop the AL West. Every other team in the division is 1-1. The Mariners will try to hold onto their lead when they face Cleveland on Saturday afternoon, with James “Big Maple” Paxton squaring off against Carlos Carrasco on Robinson Cano Bobblehead Day.