Raul

Ibanez

It almost went unnoticed as Ichiro Suzuki had four hits of his own to move to within 10 base knocks of George Sisler’s 84-year-old record.

The Royals have said they won’t offer arbitration to Ibanez, so it’s hard to believe the Mariners are going to sign him now and forfeit a first-round pick. According to the Seattle Times, Ibanez’s deal will be worth about $13 million over three years. While that’s not completely unreasonable, we still think Ibanez has been receiving far more interest than he deserves. His numbers would drop significantly in Safeco.

The Royals also could be facing competition from the Pirates and the Orioles as they attempt to bring back Joe Randa. Neither player is expected to be offered arbitration, so the Royals have just over three weeks remaining to get a deal done.

This looks like a bad move, but it’s one that has Ibanez’s fantasy value on the rise. As of right now, it appears that the Mariners will use a lineup of: Ichiro Suzuki, Randy Winn, Boone, Ibanez, Martinez, Scott Spiezio, John Olerud, Rich Aurilia and Dan Wilson/Ben Davis. Another possibility is that Aurilia will bat second and Winn will hit ninth.

He missed one game with a bruised tailbone.

The Mariners do not believe the injury is serious, and Ibanez could return to the Seattle lineup as early as tomorrow.

Ibanez is confined to a hospital room in Kansas City to take antibiotics. With both Mike Sweeney and Ibanez out, Angel Berroa hit in the fifth spot for the Royals last night.

Ibanez missed the weekend series with Detroit due to a skin infection on his leg.

The Mariners originally expected Ibanez to miss about a month with his injured right hamstring. Ibanez said there’s no timetable on his return. “Nothing like that,” Ibanez said. “Things still have to heal. It’s going to depend on how I’m feeling. But it’s going well.” He should be back sometime in early July. Jolbert Cabrera and Hiram Bocachica will continue to fill in for Ibanez during his absence.

He should return to the Mariners’ starting lineup around the All-Star break.