The Seattle Mariners placed left-hander Robbie Ray on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a left flexor strain, ending the team's streak of avoiding rotation disruptions less than two games into the new season.
Seattle's starters had gone through the entire 2022 campaign without anyone missing a turn because of injury. This year, it took only two games for that run to end.
Ray made his first start of the season Friday night and struggled in a 9-4 loss to Cleveland. He did not get through the fourth inning, walked five batters and had trouble finding the strike zone.
The pitcher said he noticed something was off early. "In the second inning it felt a little tight, but it didn't seem out of the ordinary," Ray said. "It was a cold night, I just thought maybe it took me a while to get loose in that second inning. I didn't really think that much about it, but after that my arm started to tighten up a good amount."
Manager Scott Servais said an MRI on Saturday showed a grade one strain. Ray will not throw for two weeks, after which he will be reevaluated. Servais said nothing in the results suggested a larger problem. "He's going to be shut down for a couple weeks, then he'll build up and hopefully be good to go after that," Servais said.
The injury is a departure for Ray, 31, who has been highly durable for much of his career. Outside of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, he has made at least 28 starts five times since 2016. That includes 2021, when he won the AL Cy Young Award with Toronto. In his first year with Seattle in 2022, Ray made 32 starts and posted a 3.71 ERA.
To fill the roster spot, Seattle recalled left-hander Gabe Speier from Triple-A Tacoma. Servais said, however, that right-hander Chris Flexen will move into the starting rotation. Flexen threw four innings of relief Friday night. He made 22 starts for the Mariners last season before moving to the bullpen.
In a separate move, the Mariners acquired infielder/outfielder Nick Solak from the Cincinnati Reds on Friday in exchange for cash. The Reds had designated Solak for assignment Thursday. Seattle had an open spot on its 40-man roster and assigned him to Triple-A Tacoma.
Solak, 28, had spent his entire big league career with Texas before this season, appearing in 253 games over parts of four seasons with the Rangers. His best year came in 2021, when he played 127 games and hit .242 with 11 home runs and 49 RBIs. He spent most of that season at second base but also played left field, center field and third base. The New York Yankees chose him in the second round of the 2016 amateur draft.
The acquisition appears to be a depth move, giving Seattle an experienced major leaguer at Triple-A in case injuries arise.
