Mariners right-hander Felix Hernandez is expected to miss four to six weeks after an MRI revealed a Grade 1 lat strain, per Corey Brock of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The injury to Hernandez comes as the Mariners were on the verge of getting left-hander Wade LeBlanc back into the rotation after a stay in the injured list. Instead, they’ll continue to operate without one member of their season-opening rotation, meaning young righty Erik Swanson could get an extended look in the rotation alongside Yusei Kikuchi, Marco Gonzales and Mike Leake. LeBlanc pitched in a rehab game in Triple-A yesterday and is seemingly close to a return.
Hernandez, 33, is off to an ugly start for the second consecutive season, having pitched to a 6.52 ERA with 7.9 K/9, 1.9 BB/9, 2.09 HR/9 and a 50 percent ground-ball rate. While Hernandez has improved upon last season’s strikeout, walk and ground-ball rates, he’s also been exorbitantly homer-prone so far in 2019.
A full return to form shouldn’t be expected after the struggles he’s endured and the velocity he’s lost in recent seasons, but there’s still reason to believe that Hernandez could turn the tide a bit once he returns this summer. Hernandez’s velocity is up about half mile per hour over last year, and he’s also seen improvements in his swinging-strike and opponents’ chase rates. If he can manage to curtail the home run woes a bit, he could perhaps function as a back-of-the-rotation arm over the final few months of the five-year, $135.5MM contract extension he signed back in February 2013.
I see him getting released by the end of the year .
at this point it doesnt look like it. the team will probably be out of contention by then, and he is an iconic part of the franchise.
As bad as he’s been so far this year, the Mariners had to be relieved they can stash him on the IL for 6 weeks to get him outta the mix. If he’s no better upon return Ms will have no choice but move him to the pen.
Why so he can blow games?
As if their current pen hasn’t been doing the same for the last month or so?
Not sure I agree here, he’s usually solid for the first inning or two. Then it all falls apart. Bullpen sounds ideal to me… IMO…
It’s really sad to see Felix pitching so badly. Minus the name, he’s really not even worth a roster spot.
Some players are able to reinvent themselves and extend their career – looks like Felix isn’t one of them.
Called it. He will soon soon transfer to the 60day and then be out for the remainder of the season. He’s likely thrown his last pitch as a mariner.
Good for you bruh
Rode (overused) his arm for so darn long on so many terrible Mariners teams….now he just has a dead arm. I still hope he can find a new pitch or something to be good again. Love watching him pitch….when he’s on.
King Felix decided to stay in when the Mariners weren’t great. He got paid just did not win a championship. Now that is he is down they don’t want him, such is life…
Too bad. At his best he was a top five. Couldn’t sustain it. I suspect he’s going to get some HOF votes but the career numbers aren’t there.
He’s like Johan Santana – huge peak but the career is too short. Koufax and Dean are the same way but for some reason they both sailed into the Hall. Felix is a better pitcher than Koufax or Dean. But, alas, he’s probably at the end. His contract is up after this season, and I can’t imagine he gets another contract from anyone.
Felix was great but he was not better than Koufax!!!
In context oif league and offense he was miles better than Koufax. Koufax pitched in an era in which pitching was historically dominant, in the best pitching park ever built and with that crazy built up mound. Felix pitched in a complete hitters era.
Gets off the 60 in mid July. Has 1-2 average starts and some contender will give him a shot only because of his name. That fastball is as straight as an arrow.
no one is trading for that contract, even with 1/3 of a year left.