17 Mitch Haniger RF

Haniger went 1-for-2 with a run in the Mariners' 5-4 Cactus League win over the Padres on Sunday, his first game action since June 6, 2019.

The veteran outfielder legged out an infield single in his first at-bat, immediately breaking the ice in his long-awaited return to action. Haniger admitted that plenty of nerves accompanied his excitement in getting back on the field and credited his recent productive batting-practice sessions with giving him some much-needed confidence. Manager Scott Servais opted to pull Haniger in the top of the fourth inning for Jarred Kelenic, and Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports short games could be a common theme for Haniger early in the Cactus League schedule. Additionally, the 30-year-old could see some time at designated hitter as he acclimates back into game action.

Haniger hit several towering fly balls during Saturday's batting practice session, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Any positive news regarding Haniger is welcome at this point after how difficult the last 18-plus months have been on the outfielder from a health perspective. The veteran has been cleared for all activities during spring training after focusing heavily on improving body movement as opposed to building strength, and it's resulted in what he feels is an improved swing. Despite last having seen game action in June of 2019, Haniger opens spring training as the projected starter in right field, with Jake Fraley likely his primary competitor at the onset.

Haniger will be fully healthy for spring training, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

General manager Jerry Dipoto called Haniger a "full go." It's possible there's some optimism there, but it's generally believable given that it's been quite some time since the outfielder's latest injury. Groin and back injuries cut his 2019 campaign short after just 63 games, while back surgery in February of 2020 kept him out for all of last season. Haniger could be quite a useful player if he's fully back to normal, as he's a career .267/.348/.480 hitter, but it's hard to have confidence in him staying healthy and productive all season given his long list of injury woes.

Haniger (back) has resumed full baseball activities, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Haniger sat out the 2020 season due to various injuries, but he avoided arbitration with the Mariners in early December and is expected to serve as the team's starting right fielder on Opening Day. Since he's resumed full baseball activities, Haniger is expected to be ready when position players report to spring training.

Haniger (back) signed a one-year, $3.01 million contract with the Mariners on Saturday, avoiding arbitration, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Haniger is expected to begin the 2021 season as Seattle's starting right fielder. The 29-year-old missed the entire 2020 campaign due to a slew of injuries, but he's been effective over 350 major-league contests and should be a valuable asset for the Mariners and fantasy managers if he can return to form next year.

Haniger (back) is expected to enter 2021 as the Mariners' starting right fielder, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Haniger didn't play at all this season, part of a brutal 16-month stretch which has seen him go through first a ruptured testicle and then a pair of surgeries for a sports hernia and a back issue. Come Opening Day of 2021, it will have been more than 21 months since he last played in a big-league game. He's a career .267/.348/.480 hitter in 350 major-league contests, however, so he should be able to help both the Mariners and fantasy teams if he's able to get close to his previous form after such a long layoff.

Haniger (back) continued his workouts in a private facility in Seattle and has "really picked up his lifting and workouts" according to manager Scott Servais, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

While the first news in quite a while on Haniger is certainly positive overall, it's also important to note the outfielder isn't yet doing any baseball activity. Haniger is focused on getting ready for spring training at this point, and whenever he does get back into a regular-season game, it will be his first since June 6, 2019 following a ruptured testicle and subsequent back surgery. The veteran remains under team control for two more seasons beyond 2020.

GM Jerry Dipoto said Wednesday that Haniger (back) hasn't resumed baseball activities and there's a possibility he doesn't play this season, Lauren Smith of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

The 29-year-old was placed on the 60-day injured list before the start of summer training last week, which was a solid indication he may not be taking the field anytime soon. Haniger first went down with a ruptured testicle last summer and required multiple surgeries, and he also had a procedure to fix a vertebrae in his lower back in February. The team is making sure the outfielder doesn't push things beyond where he's comfortable in he recovery, which makes sense given the myriad of issues he's returning from. The Mariners don't appear in a rush to put Haniger on the field for the shortened 2020 campaign, though for now he has yet to be officially ruled out.

Haniger (back) was placed on the 60-day injured list Sunday, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

GM Jerry Dipoto said Wednesday he wasn't sure of Haniger's status for summer camp, but his removal from the 40-man roster makes clear he needs additional time before retaking the field. The 29-year-old ruptured a testicle last summer and required additional surgeries in early 2020 for that issue, and he also underwent a microdisectomy in February to fix a vertebrae in his lower back. Jake Fraley is expected to see time in left field for Seattle, and it remains unclear if Haniger will be able to participate in the shortened 2020 season.

Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto said Wednesday that he's unsure of Haniger's (back) status for spring training 2.0, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

It has been more than a full calendar year since Haniger last played in a major-league game. He suffered a ruptured testicle last summer and was forced to undergo additional procedures early in 2020 to address that issue. The 29-year-old also went under the knife for a microdisectomy to repair a vertebrae in his lower back. If Haniger is not ready, we could see a fair amount of Jake Fraley in left field to begin the shortened season.

GM Jerry Dipoto indicated Saturday that Haniger (back/core) has no timeline for his return to baseball activities, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

The 29-year-old has continued his rehab work remotely since the start of the league-wide shutdown, and he's still working through strength and mobility exercises. Haniger underwent sports hernia surgery and back surgery in February and remains without a timeline for his return, as Dipoto said "I don't know how long that's going to take" and indicated the club is slow playing the outfielder's rehab.

Haniger (back/core) said last week that he's been able to do some core exercises for strength and mobility at his home in California since MLB suspended its season, Shannon Drayer of 710 AM ESPN Seattle reports.

Haniger said the league-wide shutdown hasn't had too much of an impact on his rehab program yet, as he's still able to do most of his strengthening exercises on his own and then relaying his progress to the team's training staff. The real test for Haniger's health coming off back and core-muscle surgeries will come when he reaches the point where he's ready to incorporate baseball activities into his training. Prior to the season being suspended, Haniger was expected to miss most of the first half, so he won't be a safe bet to be ready to go even if Opening Day doesn't come until June.

Haniger (back) will be limited to walking for approximately one more week before he begins ramping up his rehab process, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Haniger is still in recovery from the microdisectomy he underwent three weeks ago to repair a herniated disc. When also factoring in an early-February procedure to repair a torn adductor muscle, the outfielder underwent two surgeries over a three-week period, making his deliberate recovery completely understandable. Haniger remains without a timetable for a return to action, but a possible 2020 debut date should start to come more into focus as he begins to work through the rehabilitation process.

Haniger (back) said Thursday that he won't be able to lift weights for at least one month following his Feb. 13 microdiscectomy surgery, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. The outfielder is without an official timetable to return to game action.

Haniger's availability for Opening Day was already in doubt after he required core-muscle surgery a month ago, but the subsequent back procedure officially ended any chance he had of avoiding the injured list to begin the season. The 29-year-old's recovery from the lower-back operation looks like his primary concern, as doctors haven't cleared him for any activity other than light walking for the first month after surgery. Even if he's cleared to resume weight-bearing exercises by mid- or late March, Haniger would still need to complete his own version of spring training before the Mariners would likely pinpoint a target date for his 2020 debut. At this stage, don't count on Haniger seeing game action until at least May, though he did say Thursday that he remains confident he'll play at some point this season.

Haniger (back) arrived in camp Wednesday but appears to have lost a notable amount of weight and muscle, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Haniger is recovering from both sports hernia and microdiscectomy surgery, so the fact his body mass has seen a decline isn't necessarily surprising. The outfielder has no timetable for return at present but is scheduled to speak to the media Thursday, when he's likely to provide more details on his condition.

Haniger (back) has yet to report to camp as he continues recovery from microdiscectomy surgery in California, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

The oft-injured outfielder actually underwent two early February surgeries, with Haniger also going through a sports hernia procedure in addition to the microdiscectomy. Haniger remains without a firm timetable for a return to action, so the fact he's yet to report to camp isn't particularly surprising nor concerning at this point.

The surgery Haniger (abdomen) underwent Thursday was a microdiscectomy to repair a vertebrae in his lower back, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Haniger also underwent sports hernia surgery in February and remains without a timeline for his return, though general manager Jerry Dipoto indicated they do expect him to play this season. The 29-year-old ruptured a testicle in June and missed the rest of the season, and his outlook for the 2020 campaign isn't much improved. Haniger should be considered out indefinitely until the team provides a recovery timetable.

Haniger (abdomen) underwent another surgery Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

According to Passan, this marks the second surgery that Haniger has undergone in the last three weeks, and it's expected to push back his 2020 debut significantly. The details of his timetable remain unclear at this point, though more information should become available when he's cleared to begin baseball activities.

Haniger has undergone sports hernia surgery but does not have a clear timetable for his return, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Haniger has been sidelined since rupturing a testicle back in June. A recent setback required a second surgery. The outfielder's timeline was said to be 6-to-8 weeks as recently as late January, but general manager Jerry Dipoto wouldn't commit to a clear timeline Tuesday, saying that a timetable wouldn't become clear until Haniger reported to spring training. His availability for Opening Day and beyond appears to be at risk.

Haniger will undergo core surgery and is expected to be sidelined for 6-to-8 weeks, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Haniger, who underwent surgery in June after rupturing a testicle, reportedly suffered a setback in his recovery earlier in the week. As such, he'll require a second procedure, which is expected to keep him sidelined for most, if not all of spring training -- and possibly the first month of the season, as he'll need to get up to speed with his own abbreviated spring training before being cleared for game action. Jake Fraley and Braden Bishop are both internal candidates who could fill Haniger's void in the outfield to open the season.