Seattle Mariners call-up Jonatan Clase as Dominic Canzone placed on injured list
SEATTLE - The Seattle Mariners have called up outfield prospect Jonatan Clase from Triple-A Tacoma as Dominic Canzone was placed on the 10-day injured list after suffering an AC joint sprain in his left shoulder colliding with the wall in Sunday's loss to the Chicago Cubs.
Clase, 21, is the No. 10 ranked prospect in the Mariners' system, according to MLB.com. He is in the lineup in left field and batting eighth as he's set to make his debut against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night.
"Very young player who has busted on the scene here in the last year, year-and-a-half. So we're excited to see him. He had a great spring training," manager Scott Servais said.
Clase is an exceptional runner and got off to a great start in his first 12 games with Tacoma this season. Clase has 14 hits in 45 at-bats with four doubles, two triples and two home runs while walking seven times and striking out 12 times with 11 RBI.
Clase was told after Sunday's game with the Rainiers he was getting called up to Seattle. He immediately called his mother to let her know he was going to play with the Mariners.
"I cried. She did too. It was a really good moment," Clase said.
Clase is a switch-hitter, which gives him the ability to match up better against the pitchers he'll be facing. His numbers – in a small sample size in Tacoma – show he's better suited as a right-handed batter against left-handed pitching with a .368 average in 19 at-bats. However, the better slugging numbers have come from the left side with two doubles, two triples and two home runs all coming from that side of the plate in 26 at-bats.
"He's an interesting player," Servais said. "He has a great tool set. He can really run. He's a switch hitter. He's really like worked to get his body into the shape that he has gotten. … He's kind of a self-made kid that's just worked his tail off and he continues to get better and improve every step of the way."
Clase and catcher Harry Ford were the two representatives from the Mariners' organization to play in the MLB Futures Game during All-Star week at T-Mobile Park last July. Clase had a diving catch in center field as the highlight of the game for Seattle prospects.
Servais said that Clase will get the chance to play now that he's with the team. It's likely he'll be in the lineup for each game of the series against the Reds.
"If he plays really well, you play more. That's just the way it goes in this league," Servais said.
Canzone was injured making a catch while running smack into the left field wall on Sunday afternoon. Canzone immediately left the game and had an MRI to assess the injury on Monday. There's no need for surgery, but Canzone is expected to miss at least a few weeks.
"He was starting to gain a lot of traction in how we felt swinging the bat," Servais said. Certainly, the last probably 5-6 games were really good for him. And he's just going to miss some time. He'll be back. He's got plenty of time to impact our season. Just got to get them healthy."
Canzone is one of the few Mariners that have been moderately successful so far this season offensively. In 14 games, Canzone had a .219 average, but has delivered three home runs and a double along with six RBI with three walks and 11 strikeouts.
Calling up Clase is an interesting move given the other options the team could have turned to. Samad Taylor had already been up with the team this season when Ty France went on paternity leave. Cade Marlowe played in 34 games last season with moderate success. Luke Raley is already on the roster and has started just six games out of 16 so far this year.
Instead, they're giving Clase a chance to make his debut and potentially spark an offense that has sputtered significantly out of the gates to begin the year.
