Robinson Cano healthy and impressive in winter league stint
Last week we learned that Robinson Cano requested and was granted permission by the Seattle Mariners to test his broken toe in the Dominican Winter League. That stint is now ongoing, and we can officially report that Cano not only looks healthy, but also appears to be in midseason form at the plate.
Playing for his hometown team, the Estrellas Orientales, Cano has come out the gate swinging and therefore running the bases frequently during his first three games.
Though he hasn’t delivered a home run and or stolen base, those numbers translate well in any language. The pair of doubles and triple suggest there’s some pop in his bat, which is something the Mariners are probably watching even closer than his toe coming off a down season in the power department.
It’s a small sample size, but as Colin O’Keefe of Lookout Landing points out, the timing of that sample size, or Cano’s winter league “rehab assignment,” as it were, couldn’t have been better for Estrellas. To the point that he half-jokingly suggests Cano’s request may have been about more than his toe. With their win behind Cano’s big game on Thursday, they advanced to the Dominican League finals, which is rare territory for them. Since being founded in 1910, they’ve only won two championships, with those coming in 1954 and 1968.
Here’s the happy scene following the clincher.
Did Cano return more to help Estrellas over the hump? Maybe, but the more interesting question now might be how long will he stay. At the time Cano was cleared, general manager Jeff Zduriencik said he was permitted to play in a limited amount of games. It’s just not clear what the specific number is.
It’s worth noting that Cano is not scheduled for the Mariners annual FanFest, which takes place Jan. 24 and 25. He has no commitment to the club until the first full-squad workout on Feb. 25, but we’re guessing the Mariners are anxious to get him back, making it unlikely he’ll finish out the winter league postseason.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
