ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Scott Servais called it a chance for a “reboot” to Jorge Polanco’s 2024 season.
The veteran second baseman was activated from the injured list before Monday’s series opener versus the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Polanco returned to his starting spot at second base and was slotted into the No. 2 spot in the batting order.
To make room for Polanco on the active roster, first baseman Tyler Locklear was optioned back to Triple-A Tacoma after Sunday’s game in Miami.
“Really excited to have Polo back,” Servais said in his pregame media session. “He’s been out, I don’t know how long it’s been, but it’s been a while.”
Polanco was placed on the 10-day injured list May 27 with a right hamstring strain. But he actually suffered the injury in a game on May 13. He sat out for more than a week, missing seven games, and then briefly returned to the lineup. He played in five games, but still was bothered by the hamstring. The Mariners placed him on the injured list to get him completely healthy.
“When he started his rehab assignment, we talked to him about it and it wasn’t just to go down and play, it was not just about feeling healthy,” Servais said. “We wanted to make sure he felt good in the batter’s box, and he had his timing down.”
Polanco seemed to find that timing at the end of his rehab assignment. He hit three homers in his last two games with the Rainiers.
In 46 games with Seattle this season entering Monday, Polanco had a .231/.313/.390 slash line in 181 plate appearances. He had two doubles, five homers, 14 RBI, 21 walks and 56 strikeouts.
“It’s a chance for him to kind of start over here,” Servais said. “Hopefully he can get off to a good start tonight or just have a good series here and build on that, but I’m glad to have him back.”
When the Mariners acquired him this offseason, they expected him to be a productive presence in the middle of the order. It hasn’t happened yet.
“Certainly, as we looked at our team coming into the season, we thought he’d be a key contributor offensively,” Servais said. “He got off to a slow start, but he’s healthy and we’ll get him in there and let him go.”
What does that mean for the mixture of playing time for others?
Well, Polanco is going to see the majority of time at second base. Dylan Moore, who has played extensively due to injured-list stints for Polanco and J.P. Crawford, will move back to his utility role.
Rookie Ryan Bliss, who had back-to-back three-hit games versus the Marlins, will assume a bench role.
“When you’d look at it at the big-league level, it’s all about how they fit on the 26-man roster,” Servais said. “Is there an opportunity for that young player to continue to develop and to play?”
Locklear wasn’t going to play as much with Ty France and Luke Raley on the roster. But Bliss could find ways to get playing time in different ways.
“He had a great series in Miami and swung the bat just awesome,” Servais said. “Of course, he brings a different feature in that he can pinch run and is a dynamic base runner. We’re also going to move him around the field a little bit.”
Bliss practiced getting reads off the bat in left field during batting practice.
It’s not a position shift, but the Mariners want to be able to use him in the outfield if the need were to arise late in a game. The decision to insert Bliss as a pinch-hitter or pinch-runner is based on the immediate offensive impact, but there is still a defensive aspect that must be addressed.
“You want to have more guys with more versatility,” Servais said. “I think if Ryan Bliss got out in left field, he could probably catch a fly ball hit to him.”
Servais was also very complimentary of Locklear in his debut call-up.
“I was super impressed with Tyler Locklear,” Servais said. “I thought he did an outstanding job with us. And to see his growth and improvement defensively was just fantastic. I mean, from where he was (at the) beginning of spring training to what he showed while he was here in the big leagues, he’s come a long way and that’s a lot of hard work.”
Locklear made his MLB debut on June 9. He played in 11 games, posting a .200/.250/.433 slash line with a double, two homers, three RBI, a walk and 12 strikeouts.
“I love his work ethic and his mentality,” Servais said. “He’s going to hit in this league. He’s a big guy and he looks the part. He’s going to continue to get better, but you want that player to continue to play a lot and continue to develop at the minor-league level.”
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