Mariners’ left-hander Drew Smyly will not start the season with the team after sustaining a flexor strain in his left elbow, reports MLB.com’s Greg Johns. The lefty reportedly injured his elbow in camp on Tuesday during a bullpen workout. He was expected to take the fourth spot in the rotation behind Felix Hernandez, Hisashi Iwakuma and James Paxton, but club GM Jerry Dipoto says that a 6-8 week setback looks likely at this point.
Smyly, 27, completed a three-year track with the Rays in 2016. He pitched through 175 1/3 innings, his first full season after rehabbing a torn labrum in 2015, and came out the other side with a 4.88 ERA, 2.5 BB/9 and 8.6 SO/9. The Mariners acquired Smyly in January for outfielder Mallex Smith and two minor leaguers, and were expected to utilize the lefty as a core member of their rotation in 2017.
Now, it’s up to fellow left-hander Ariel Miranda to fill the No. 4 spot as the team prepares to open the season on Monday. According to Dipoto, Miranda was assigned to Triple-A Tacoma in order to remain stretched out as a potential sixth starter (via Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News-Tribune). In other words, the team was anticipating some health issues with their rotation, though maybe not quite this early in the year. Smyly is expected to seek additional opinions on his elbow in the coming week.
