4 Shed Long 2B

Long is completely recovered from last season's shin injury but will likely have his spring training workload monitored carefully, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

A stress fracture in Long's right shin led to an early shutdown in 2020, perhaps a blessing in disguise after the young second baseman slashed an anemic .171/.242/.291 over 124 plate appearances across 34 games. The numbers were even more disappointing considering Long had slashed .263/.333/.454 over 42 games during his first taste of big-league action in 2019. Last year's downturn, combined with Dylan Moore's strong showing, has set up a job battle at the keystone between the two players, with manager Scott Servais noting earlier this offseason Moore had "earned the right to get more regular time at second base." Long is still expected to get a long look this spring, but it will also likely come with some form of rep management in light of last September's injury.

Mariners manager Scott Servais said Wednesday that Long (shin) and Dylan Moore (concussion) will battle for the starting second base job during spring training, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Long and Moore were both sidelined near the end of the 2020 season with their respective injuries, but the two should be back to full health by the time position players report to spring training. Prior to undergoing surgery in late September to repair a stress fracture in his right shin, Long had struggled while playing through the injury, slashing just .171/.242/.291. Moore would seem to have a leg up on the job battle after he provided a .854 OPS to go with 12 steals last season, but his ability to play all over the diamond along with every outfield spot would allow Servais to keep both players in the everyday lineup if Long proves deserving of a regular role this spring.

Long underwent surgery to address a stress fracture in his right shin Tuesday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

The injury had reportedly been bothering Long since spring training, which may explain his very poor .171/.242/.291 slash line. Recovery from the procedure is expected to take 6-to-8 weeks, so he should have no issues being ready for next year's spring training.

Long (lower leg) is contemplating the next step in treating the stress fracture in his shin, the Associated Press reports. "Shed is still working through what's the best course of action for him to get back healthy. I know he's weighing a couple different options right now. I'm not sure where he's headed," manager Scott Servais said. "May be a minor surgery, may not be."

Long is now deemed to be done for the 2020 season, so he has some time to reach a decision on the best course of action. The 25-year-old aggravated the stress reaction that he'd apparently been dealing with since spring training when he fouled a ball off the leg Sept. 6 against the Rangers. After entering the campaign with high expectations and an everyday job at second base, Long literally limped to a .171/.242/.291 line across 124 plate appearances before being shut down by the injury.

Long will undergo an MRI on his right shin and will have a consult with Dr. James Andrews, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

Long revealed Saturday that he'd been dealing with a stress reaction in his right shin since spring training, which could partially explain his poor .171/.242/.291 slash line. He fouled a ball off the same shin last weekend against the Rangers, which made the problem worse and sent him to the injured list. His timeline should become clear following his MRI and consult.

Long was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right shin stress fracture, retroactive to Sept. 10.

Long appeared in just two of the past seven games, but he'll be sidelined at least 10 days as he deals with a shin issue. The 25-year-old had been serving mainly in a depth role after slashing .171/.242/.291 this season, but Dee Strange-Gordon could see a slight uptick in playing time in Long's absence. With just over two weeks remaining in the regular season, Long might not make it back to the field this year.

Long is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Rangers.

Long's playing time has dropped significantly in recent days, as he now sits for the fifth time in the last six games. Dylan Moore gets the nod at second base.

Long isn't in the lineup Saturday against the Rangers.

Long will take a seat for the fourth consecutive contest in the second game of the series against the Rangers. Ty France will take over at second base Saturday.

Long sits for the third straight game Friday against the Rangers.

Long handled a heavy workload early this season, but it's hard to say he deserved one, as he's hitting just .170/.238/.295. Dylan Moore, who returned from a wrist injury Friday, starts at second base.

Long will sit for the second straight game Monday against the Angels.

Long has failed to impress at the plate this season, hitting just .170/.238/.295. Donovan Walton, who was just called up Monday, will start at second base in his absence.

Long is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.

He'll take a seat in favor of Dee Gordon in the day game after a night game. Long had started in each of the previous four games, going 3-for-14 with a pair of home runs and a stolen base.

Long went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a loss to the Angels on Saturday.

Long's round tripper was meaningless within the game context -- it came with the Mariners down 16-2 in the ninth inning -- yet it certainly meant plenty to both the second baseman and his fantasy managers. Long still carries an utterly forgettable .173/.242/.300 line for the season, but he's at least left the yard in two of the last three games and has hit safely in four of his last six contests overall.

Long went 1-for-4 with a solo home run during a win over the Padres in the second game of a doubleheader Thursday.

Long's second homer of the season, a 412-foot shot to left field, capped off a six-run outburst for the Mariners in the first inning of the nightcap. Long has now hit safely in three of his past four games, a modest but nevertheless welcome stretch of success that was immediately preceded by an abysmal 1-for-22 tally over the previous seven contests.

Long went 1-for-2 with an RBI single, a walk and a stolen base as the Padres defeated the Mariners in Game 1 of Thursday's doubleheader.

Long picked up his sixth RBI and swiped his fourth bag. The second baseman holds a subpar .173 batting average on the campaign, but is still expected to see the lion's share of time at the keystone going forward.

Long isn't in Tuesday's lineup against the Padres.

Long started the past two games for the Mariners, but he'll get a day off after going 1-for-7 with a double, one RBI and two strikeouts during that time. Dee Gordon will start at second base in his absence.

Long is not starting Friday against the Rangers.

Long hits the bench for the second time in the last three games. He's hitting just .169/.245/.247 through 98 plate appearances this season. Dee Gordon will be the second baseman in his absence.

Long isn't in the lineup Wednesday against the Dodgers.

Long has gone hitless with five strikeouts in his past 10 at-bats, and he'll take a seat for the second time in the past four games Wednesday. Dylan Moore will take over at second base in his absence.

Long is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros.

Long started the past five games at second base, going 3-for-17 with three walks to drop his season average below the Mendoza Line. Though Long has disappointed thus far, he doesn't appear to be in danger of losing out on an everyday role, which may speak to the Mariners' lack of appealing alternatives more than anything else. Dee Gordon, who is batting .139 through 39 plate appearances, will spell Long at the keystone Sunday.

Long is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rockies, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Dee Gordon gets the nod at second base in place of Long, who is on the bench for the second time in 17 games this season. Long went hitless in the first two games of the series with Colorado, dropping his season average to .200.

Long went 2-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Athletics.

The Mariners put a man on base just eight times as a team Sunday, and Long was responsible for three of those instances. He produced a single and a stolen base in the ninth inning but couldn't come around to score what would have been the tying run. Through 10 games, Long is hitting .250 with a homer, three steals, five runs scored and four RBI in 40 plate appearances.