Twitter
    Sportspress Northwest
    • Football
    • Baseball
    • NCAA
    • Hockey
    • Soccer
    • Basketball
    Twitter
    Sportspress Northwest
    Twitter
    Home » Cano starts at first base in Tacoma, gets a hit
    Baseball

    Cano starts at first base in Tacoma, gets a hit

    SPNW StaffBy SPNW StaffAugust 6, 2018Updated:August 7, 2018No Comments3 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Reddit LinkedIn Email
    Share
    Facebook Twitter Reddit LinkedIn Email
    Robinson Cano lost $11.8 million in salary. / Alan Chitlik, Sportspress Northwest

    A week ahead of his scheduled return to the Mariners, 2B Robinson Cano began an assignment in AAA Tacoma Monday night, starting at first base for the first time in his career. He can be reinstated from his 80-game suspension for violating MLB’s drug policy Aug. 14. Rules permit a 14-day period to prepare for the return.

    Cano has been spending some of his time working out at his family’s baseball facility in the Dominican Republic, returning to Seattle last week. He had a single in the first and a walk in eighth around two ground-outs as the Rainiers beat Colorado Springs 3-2 in 10 innings. He’ll DH in Tuesday’s day game, after which Cano will report to Class A Everett.

    When he was busted May 15 for use of a masking agent that hides PED use, Cano in 39 games was hitting .287 with 24 runs, 10 doubles, four home runs, 23 RBI, 21 walks, a .385 on-base percentage and a .441 slugging mark (.825 OPS). He was put on the disabled list May 13 after a pitch broke a bone in his right hand.

    The Mariners shortly took off on a 22-6 run that caused some fans to speculate that Cano, 35, wasn’t all that necessary to team success, especially after Dee Gordon moved in from center field to prove he was a better defender at Cano’s position.

    But since the season peaked July 3 with an eight-game win streak that put the Mariners 24 games above .500 (55-31), they had lost 18 of 25 to fall out of the fifth and final American League playoff spot that looked to have been nearly locked up.

    The offense largely has been to blame. The Mariners beat the Blue Jays 6-3 Sunday to salvage one win in a four-game series, part of a 2-5 homestand. Entering the game, the Mariners had been outscored 32-11 in the previous six games. The Mariners in July scored an MLB-low 77 runs.

    The suspension cost Cano $11.8 million of his $24 million annual salary, as well as his old job. Gordon will stay at second. Cano has been working out first base as well at some at third. He said in an interview last month that he’s willing to play anywhere to help.

    Since making his MLB debut 2005, he has appeared in 2,037 games, second-most of any player in that span. Since joining the Mariners in 2014 after signing a 10-year, $240 million contract through the 2023 season, he has hit .294 with five triples, 101 home runs and 384 RBI in 662 games.

    The Mariners Monday began a 10-game road trip through the AL West with a 4-3 win in 11 innings over the Rangers in Texas.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Reddit LinkedIn Email

    Related Posts

    A few musings about sports journalism as the unwinding begins

    February 18, 2022

    Carroll’s staff makeover seeks to get Wilson back in the game

    February 16, 2022

    Arizona loss unmasks truths about Hopkins, UW hoops

    February 15, 2022

    Comments are closed.

    • Follow @Art_Thiel on Twitter
    Use our affiliate link on Amazon

    Subscribe to Our Weekly Roundup

    Get the top stories sent to your inbox every Thursday.

    Art Thiel on KNKX 88.5FM

    Kirsten Kendrick's Q. & A. with Thiel can be heard every Friday during Morning Edition at 5:45am and 7:45am and again that same day on All Things Considered at 4:44pm. It also airs Saturday at 9:35am.

    Listen now!
    Latest Posts

    A few musings about sports journalism as the unwinding begins

    February 18, 2022

    Carroll’s staff makeover seeks to get Wilson back in the game

    February 16, 2022

    Arizona loss unmasks truths about Hopkins, UW hoops

    February 15, 2022

    Rams win a survivors contest called the Super Bowl

    February 14, 2022
    Twitter
    • Football
    • Baseball
    • NCAA
    • Hockey
    • Soccer
    • Basketball
    © 2025 Sportspress Northwest

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.