Mariners second baseman Dee Gordon was hit in the right wrist by a J.A. Happ fastball during the third inning of tonight’s 3-1 loss to the Yankees, causing Gordon to be removed from the game. Seattle manager Scott Servais told reporters (including Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times and MLB.com’s Greg Johns) after the game that Gordon would receive more tests on his wrist tomorrow, as initial x-rays weren’t conclusive. Speaking to Divish, Johns, and other media after the game, Gordon said his wrist was “very sore,” and had some harsh words about Happ’s pitch location.
After a disappointing first season in Seattle that included an ill-advised position switch to center field, Gordon seemed to be back on track in 2019 after returning to his original second base position. Gordon entered Thursday’s action hitting .304/.327/.406 through 149 plate appearances, plus 10 steals in 11 attempts. Gordon has also already hit three home runs, a startling figure for a player who has never hit more than four long balls over an entire season.
Servais intimated that some type of roster move would need to be made before tomorrow’s game in Boston, as backup infielder Dylan Moore is also battling a wrist injury and will undergo his own set of tests. Moore replaced Gordon on Thursday, though had to be himself removed for pinch-hitter Jay Bruce since Moore was feeling pain while swinging the bat. The chain reaction of position switches led to Edwin Encarnacion making his first career appearance as a second baseman, and then getting an injury scare himself after Encarnacion made a diving attempt at a ground ball.
With Gordon and Moore each hurting, it stands to reason that one or both of J.P. Crawford or Shed Long could get the call from Triple-A Tacoma to fill the holes in Seattle’s infield. Crawford already may be the choice, as Lauren Smith of the Tacoma News Tribune reported that Crawford was scratched from tonight’s Rainiers’ lineup.
Crawford would be making his Mariners debut after being the young centerpiece of the five-player trade between the M’s and Phillies last December that saw Jean Segura go to Philadelphia and Carlos Santana (temporarily) come to Seattle. Crawford has thus far acquitted himself well in his new organization, with a .319/.420/.457 slash line through 138 Triple-A plate appearances. Long, ranked by MLB.com as the 12th-best prospect in the Mariners’ farm system, has also been hitting well at Triple-A this season and would be making his Major League debut if a promotion is indeed in the cards.
