Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger underwent core surgery earlier this week, GM Jerry Dipoto told reporters, including Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times (Twitter links), MLB.com’s Greg Johns, and The Athletic’s Corey Brock. Haniger is expected to be sidelined for six to eight weeks, and the outfielder will miss some time at the start of the season after missing such a large chunk of Spring Training.
The procedure was necessitated by a setback while Haniger was already rehabbing from the surgery that ultimately cut short his 2019 season after just 63 games. Haniger didn’t play after June 6 after suffering a ruptured testicle, and Divish noted he was at risk of suffering from a hernia or another core injury “if Haniger pushed too much in his recovery and rehab.”
While Dipoto said that he didn’t think Haniger would miss too many of the Mariners’ early games, today’s news obviously isn’t a welcome one given how Haniger’s career has already been interrupted by this particularly brutal injury. The right fielder was becoming a breakout star in his first two seasons in Seattle, hitting .284/.361/.492 with 42 home runs over 1093 plate appearances in 2017-18. While Haniger’s 2019 production was down a bit from that level prior to his injury, he was still providing above-average offense (106 wRC+, 109 OPS+) in his abbreviated season.
Haniger’s surgery also almost surely ends any possibility that he might be a late-offseason trade candidate. The M’s received some significant trade interest in Haniger this past winter, with the Diamondbacks cited as one of the known suitors. Dipoto reportedly set a high asking price in trade talks, and wasn’t willing to settle for any sort of buy-low offer in the wake of Haniger’s injury.
Assuming no further setbacks and Haniger is indeed able to return by late April, the 29-year-old will have plenty of time to re-establish himself as a quality offensive and defensive performer. Haniger is set to earn $3.01MM in 2020, and with two more arbitration-eligible seasons to come, he’ll put himself in line for a nice raise if he returns to his 2017-18 form. Such a performance could also make Haniger a name to watch for the July trade deadline, if Dipoto and the Mariners still have their eyes set towards the future.
I hope his new core works out well for him
So will this finally make people shut up about Mitch Haniger trade speculation?
should of traded him last year. idiots
Hindsight 20/20
I hope so. I really like having Mitch on the team. He’s under control for 3 more years, cheap.
I hope so. I really like having Mitch on the team. He’s under control for 3 more years, cheap.
Oh nuts!!
Ball 2
Daaaaaang this dude can’t catch a break. Good thing I left him off my top 10 RF list. (By the way if anyone would like to see my lists just lmk)
Nope
They’re actually better than you’d think from a 15 year old u sure?
pass
If you left him off nobody should see it and you should not be doing any list. Maybe a grocery list.
Really buddy? You’d have to be stupid to put him on your list. Even that dumb MLBN shredder list kept him off.
I want to see all of your Top 10 lists. Please post them here.
Please don’t.
Have only posted 4 so far. 2 more coming this weekend tho.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLexoAXHKfZ-v0HVh23ojCIGVqJuQ84go_
That’s the YT playlist for my lists
Making a mistake sherlock. MLBTR has more than it’s share of those people who think being a jerk online is clever and intelligent.
I’m used to it I have Twitter for crying out loud lol I just want to get the word out about my channel tbh
Should be back by opening day
Starting to become injury prone
Or you can read the article…
But that would require reading more than the headline
Definitely not meant to defend the person who likely only read the headline, but the article is contradicting to the headline. 6-8 weeks from today is March 19th. The article says Haniger would be on track to return by end of April. Regardless, tough break for the guy. He’s been a fun player to watch when he’s on the field.
Definitely not meant to defend the person who likely only read the headline, but the article is contradicting to the headline. 8 weeks from today is March 19th. The article says Haniger would be on track to return by end of April. Regardless, tough break for the guy. He’s been a fun player to watch when he’s on the field.
The article clearly states that he would miss games because he would need to ramp up in extended spring training
Brave could still trade Adam Duvall, Bryse Wilson and Ender Inciarte for Mitch Haniger, and Kyle Seager plus half of Seager’s contract value.
Where exactly would Haniger play? Acuna is not a CF long term. He’s available as a backup when Ender is down.
Marcel will be in left, kakes in right and acuna in center so I don’t think Ender will get much time or he might be traded.
Ender alone would get that done.
Is it part of Braves fanhood that they require you to go online and post inane trade proposals and suggest that the team sign every single free agent available, non-stop and repetitively, every day of the off-season?
You forgot complaining about how ownership is cheap despite a franchise record payroll
Ah yes. Criticising an entire fanbase because you have wittnessed the statements of a minority. It’s the sports version of referring to another culture as “those people.” Now just imagine if entire groups of people were derided because another group of people didnt like what they do, say etc. We dont have that do we?
I’m a Braves fan myself, poking fun at the more polar individuals in our fanbase. There’s obvious hyperbole in my statement, which you obviously didn’t recognize.
Follow politics if you want to overanalyze and straw man every comment that hurts your precious wittle feelings.
Hey we will trade Felix to you for Acuna.
That needs Ozzie too. Done.
It seems so
I’d love to see a thread for Braves and Padres fans only, where they propose trades between the two teams.
Are you actually taking shots at Padre fans for crazy trade proposals? Coming from fans who tried to tell the Padres that 2 years of Syndergaard was worth Tatis and Paddack or later Gore and Patino?
That clown does not represent the rest of us.
I see Braves fans written all over this
No chance. Seattle is loaded with outfield prospects. No depth at 3B. Come offering pitching or infield prospects and willing to overpay. Which is why no deal has been struck. Not my demands. It’s just what Seattle’s terms are.
They do not feel the need to offload Haniger. But “will listen” if a team like Atlanta desires a player like him.
Don’t think taking on half of Seagers payroll works very well for 2 reasons.
1. The Braves have already set a feanchise record for payroll. It’s difficult to see them taking on more and still having some left for trade deadline purposes.
2. If the Mariners keep half of Seagers pay, Seager suddenly becomes worth his pay and no longer negative value which would make Haniger cheaper.
Additionally, the Mariners have not been very motivated to move Haniger when his value was at its highest so I doubt that happens when it’s the lowest. 5y5iiiyy
Why didn’t he do this late in the season once the M’s were officially eliminated, or right after it ended? Assuming he didn’t know for sure; otherwise he could have been back sooner.
Good question; maybe he injured it prepping for the season, or maybe realized it then as you said? Either way, I imagine core surgery sucks.
Logic would dictate that this is a new injury. Hernias typically don’t heal themselves. It’s a relatively simple procedure, no reason to delay.
It says it directly in the article why the surgery happened this late. If you have questions about the subject matter, wouldn’t it just be easier to read the content?
I think you missed the question; or maybe I did? He was asking why wait when he knew what happened last season, which I think is good question.
Then he suggested maybe Hanigar didn’t realize how bad it was, when it says he knew he would likely need surgery 6 months ago. I supposed, without talking to him myself, that it was re-injured during his prep phase, or he actually then realized it was that bad, which it seems to be. It was an innocuous question, but wasn’t really answered in the article.
But, I could’ve missed the sentence with that in it too, because, after all, I’m human.
His testicle ruptured. He had surgery. He started working out again, problems arose with the initial surgery, probably to do with his abdominal muscles reacting to said surgery.
Please read the story, and have a clue before opening your mouth, because you look like the worst person ever right now.
A year ago: “Dipoto fielding numerous calls about Mitch Haniger”.
How quickly things can change. Hope Haniger bounces back. Guy is good when healthy.
The Ms get to start the season with Mallex Smith, Kyle Lewis, Braden Bishop, and Jake Fraley as their outfield. Gotta hope Haniger comes back soon as that group doesn’t make me very confident. Hoping for better than 2019 output for all of them.
Mariners should have traded Haniger after the 2018 season when he broke out and was healthy. Not to mention, extremely cost effective for 4 more years, at the time.
5th place in the west! again!
Frustrating how often he’s injured.
I don’t believe the 6-8 weeks. Core muscle surgery takes much longer to completely heal. He might be open to light workouts in 6-8 weeks and take a month of extended spring training, but I don’t think he’ll be himself until August-September if not next season. Just remember this, M’s fans. Too bad, too, because he is an exciting player when healthy.
Ok doctor.
If he is missing 6-8 weeks, how is he going to miss any of the regular season? The regular season is 9 weeks away. Even if he misses the full 8 weeks, he’d still have a week to rehab before Opening Day.
A whole week to go from zero to 60? Yeah, no way he’d injure something else a week into games.
Haniger is a great player when he is healthy. Problem is he is looking like an injury prone player who is bordering on bust status.
How is rupturing a testicle make you “injury prone”? That’s not a recurring injury.
Or you could stop regurgitating worthless cliches that don’t apply to the situation and instead say “well, this is really bad luck and a terrible thing to have happen to any guy.” But you can’t do that, why?
Hanniger is overrated. Can’t stay healthy and not much more than a nice player. Definitely not a difference maker.
His injury of the ruptured testicle was caused by fouling a ball off himself. This core injury is likely a result of coming back from that original injury. His original injury was a fluke. Definitely can’t call a person prone to injury when it is caused by fluke circumstances.
Posters on these threads just spout utter nonsense for no reason. It’s so off-putting when all you want to do is talk baseball but get repeatedly get slapped with gutter level cliches by low rent idiots.
I have only heard of someone actually rupturing a testicle 3 times irl. I have never, ever heard of anyone rupturing one TWICE. Since this is his only injury, I don’t see any way that you can realistically call him injury prone.
Yes, I consider the abdominal injury part of the same injury.
So the count on Hanniger was one strike to two balls?
I hope he comes back has a great season, and then getS dealt at the deadline for pitching. We have plenty of OF.
Poor Fella! Just a year ago, this guy was the hope of a rebuilding future as a franchise cornerstone, or at least a nice prospect haul trade bait! Now, we all just hope to see him get healthy in the nether regions….and you thought YOUR year was Bad!
THIS is the post everyone should be making instead of second-guessing the team/player and slurring his entire career by lazily, idiotically, calling the man “injury prone”. He’s suffering through a massive injury that is not a simple fix, and cowards on here are talking down on him. Shame.
To all of the people who call Haniger “injury prone.” If you ever rupture a testicle, I hope that someone tells you to simply “walk it off.”
I’d rather they walk into the sun and never post again.
Where’s Greg Bird playing this year?
Masked Muscle!
Gotta feel for Haniger, he was a good player. What exactly is core surgery? Getting a replacement core sounds like something out of a fallout game.
From what I can tell, a ‘core injury’ is just another name for a ‘sports hernia’ if that helps…LOL
Could possibly open up a few extra AB’s for Nola early in the year, with White at 1B and Seager at 3B. He seems athletic enough to play an OF corner. He can also catch in a pinch.
Braves fans wanted us to trade the farm for this guy. Looking like it’s a good thing we didn’t and hopefully never do.
Why? Because he would’ve got hit in the nuts in Atlanta as well.
Clueless!
Ugh