Mariners place Dylan Moore on IL with sprained wrist, call up third OF in Jake Fraley
Fraley’s 2020 debut at last comes at the expense of Top-50 MLB player Dylan Moore.
A day off appears not enough for Mariners UTIL breakout Dylan Moore, as he’s been placed on the 10-day IL with a sprained wrist. It’s a thoroughly unfortunate bit of bad luck and timing for the 28 year old, who has been among the better players in MLB in 2020, with a .282/.364/.538 line and 148 wRC+ in 88 PAs. Moore has been the club’s primary RF, but has spent time at every position save catcher in his two seasons with Seattle. If his wrist recovers quickly, he should be able to return before the season ends, though he’ll have just ~20 games left after his minimum IL time.
On the way up, at last, is OF Jake Fraley, who was expected to break camp in the corner OF role Moore claimed, but struggled mightily in the summer restart as he battled, among other things, a severe stomach bug. The 25 year old lefty struggled mightily in his 12 game cameo last year (also known as 1/5th of the 2020 season), and will have to contend with the pressure of knowing it’s quite possibly now or never for him. Fraley dominated AA last year, but was more pedestrian in Tacoma between ankle and wrist injuries. At his best, Fraley is a poppy, speedy outfielder with the chance to offer a profile similar to Shed Long Jr. at a corner outfield spot. Seizing this opportunity will require physical health, mental clarity, and a bit better luck than Fraley’s been privy to in his snake-bitten career. It’s hard to argue he has more offensive upside than any of the outfield alternatives Seattle has on their active roster, but Fraley has a wave of outfield talents behind him, with an emergent Kyle Lewis astride him to boot.