John

Jaso

Visalia leads the California League semifinal series 2-1. Jaso has two homers so far in the playoffs after finishing the regular season by homering in three straight.

He took embattled Red Sox righty John Lackey deep for a three-run bomb in the second. It was just his fifth home run of the season, and second since the All-Star break. He’ll enter 2012 off the radar outside of deep AL-only leagues.

He’s just getting the day off. John Jaso will serve as the Mariners’ designated hitter on Thursday and bat eighth against the Indians.

That was the assumption after Olivo left Monday’s game and Carp confirmed via his Twitter account Tuesday morning that he will be joining up with the big club. The 25-year-old has struggled during his rehab stint with Triple-A Tacoma, batting just .137 (7-for-51) with zero homers and a 14/2 K/BB ratio, but he’ll likely slide into the DH spot while Jesus Montero and John Jaso share playing time behind the plate.

This will be Montero’s seventh appearance (sixth start) at catcher this season. He should be able to reach 10 games started while Miguel Olivo (groin) is on the disabled list and figures to be a pretty solid lock to reach 20 games started before the season is out. Dustin Ackley will serve as the DH Tuesday while Kyle Seager plays second base and Alex Liddi plays third. John Jaso is taking a seat against the left-hander Matt Moore, but he should be in there against most right-handed starters.

Olivo exited Monday’s game in the ninth inning due to the injury. No official word from the team on his status moving forward, but a stint on the disabled list is a real possibility. The M’s could activate Mike Carp (shoulder) in that case while Jesus Montero and John Jaso would share playing time behind the plate.

Olivo will try to block pitches behind the plate in a few days and may begin catching bullpen sessions during the team’s upcoming four-city road trip. The 33-year-old backstop is eligible to come off the disabled list in eight days, but he’s unlikely to return until the end of the month. Jesus Montero and John Jaso will continue to split catching duties for now.

The sooner the Mariners dump Miguel Olivo, the better off they’ll be. Jaso still hasn’t gotten a start behind the plate behind Olivo and Miguel Montero, but he’s driven in four runs in his two appearances at DH. Maybe he was miscast as a starting catcher, but he can be a pretty useful role player for Seattle.

Olivo left Monday’s game against the Rays with a right groin strain. He told reporters that the injury is worse than the one he suffered during spring training last year, so it would be a surprise if he’s ready to return when he’s first eligible. Jesus Montero and John Jaso are expected to split catching duties while Mike Carp (shoulder) is likely to return from the DL and replace Olivo on the active roster.

Montero has already caught six games (five starts) this season while Jaso has been used exclusively out of the DH spot. Olivo is expected to miss more than the minimum, so Montero should be able to get to 10 starts within the next couple of weeks. That’s mighty good news for fantasy owners.