Robinson Cano may need surgery for a fractured hand he suffered in batting practice over the weekend.
Per Greg Johns of MLB.com, the Mariners second baseman fractured the fifth metacarpal bone in his right hand when he was hit by a fastball in the third inning of Sunday’s 5-4 loss against the Tigers at Comerica Park, and he could be facing surgery that would likely sideline him for much of the first half of the season.
“I knew right away,” said Cano, whose entire hand and wrist were encased in a soft cast after the game. “It’s kind of the same feeling when I broke my pinkie toe in Japan [during an offseason tour in 2015]. I knew right away.”
The 35-year-old Cano signed with the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent on January 5, 2001. He is an eight-time MLB All-Star, five-time Silver Slugger Award winner, and two-time Gold Glove Award winner. He was the 2017 All-Star Game MVP and the 2011 Home Run Derby winner.
Along with WBC teammates Octavio Dotel and Santiago Casilla, Cano became one of the first four players to have won both a World Series and World Baseball Classic. On December 6, 2013, Cano signed a 10-year, $240 million with the Mariners.
Robinson Cano may be replaced by Dee Gordon, who played second base for the Miami Marlins before being acquired this offseason. As Johns explains, the fifth metacarpal is a bone at the base of the pinkie finger on the side of the hand. Manager Scott Servais said that is not an option right now. Gordon will remain in center field for the Mariners.
Cano has said he’ll fly to Philadelphia to see a hand specialist on Tuesday, and he will know more about a time frame at that point. The Mariners will add a replacement from Triple-A Tacoma before Monday’s game in Minnesota, with veteran infielder Gordon Beckham a good possibility.