Mariners' Iwakuma staying optimistic despite lat strain
The Seattle Mariners will be without starter Hisashi Iwakuma for a few weeks, as the right-hander was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Saturday with a Grade 1 strain of his right lat muscle.
Despite the setback, which the team expects will keep Iwakuma out approximately 2-4 weeks, the pitcher is maintaining a positive outlook.
As he told Adam Lewis of MLB.com:
"I'm being optimistic," Iwakuma said through translator Antony Suzuki after receiving the MRI results. "I'm being very positive with the situation. It's minor. It's not bad, as we saw on the MRI, so I want to come back soon and help the team and contribute."
So far in 2015, Iwakuma hasn't exactly been the pitcher he was for most of 2014. Each of his three starts have been problematic, and in his latest outing (a game the M's lost 7-5 to the Houston Astros) his velocity was noticeably decreased to the point that manager Lloyd McClendon removed him after just 71 pitches.
In Iwakuma's absence, it's unclear who will weather the load in the rotation. Young lefty Roenis Elias was called up to make the start on Sunday, but at this point the Mariners have not officially announced who will assume Iwakuma's role until he returns.