27-year old righty swinging catcher Adam Moore is going to miss the next 2-4 weeks due to a broken bone on the back of his right hand. Moore played in 2 games for the Mariners last year and he was 1 for 6 (.167 avg, .500 OPS). I am starting to feel bad for Moore, who always seems to be injured. He was the Mariners’ top catching prospect not too long ago.

UPDATE: (3/28/2012) - The Mariners have placed Adam Moore on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to March 24th due to a broken bone in his right hand. Moore will likely start in AAA-ball when he’s ready to return to action.

The Seattle Mariners have lost 29-year old starting CF Franklin Gutierrez for at least the next four weeks due to a partially torn right pectoral muscle. He will likely need at least a 2-week rehab assignment when he gets healthy, so he is going to miss the start of the 2012 season. Gutierrez played in 92 games for the Mariners last year and he was 72 for 322 (.224 avg, .534 OPS) with 26 runs scored, 1 homer, 19 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. The Mariners are going to miss Gutierrez’ defense as he is one of the best centerfielders in all of baseball in the field. 27-year old righty swinging Casper Wells and 25-year old lefty swinging Michael Saunders are going to duke it out this spring to see who gets to replace Gutierrez until he’s ready to return to action. Wells played in 31 games for the Mariners last year and he was 22 for 102 (.216 avg, .742 OPS) with 14 runs scored, 7 homers, 15 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. He played in 95 games overall for the Mariners & Tigers last year and he was 51 for 215 (.237 avg, .759 OPS) with 30 runs scored, 11 homers, 27 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Mike Saunders played in 58 games for the Mariners last year and he was 24 for 161 (.149 avg, .424 OPS) with 16 runs scored, 2 homers, 8 RBIs and 6 stolen base. Saunders was overmatched by major league pitching last year as he whiffed 56 times while only walking 12 times for the Mariners. The Mariners hope that Gutierrez gets healthy soon.

UPDATE: (3/28/2012) - The Mariners have placed Franklin Gutierrez on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to March 24th due to a torn right pectoral muscle.

The Mariners have shut down 26-year old righty swinging outfielder Casper Wells for the rest of the season due to a severe sinus problem. Wells played in 31 games for the Mariners last year and he was 22 for 102 (.216 avg, .742 OPS) with 14 runs scored, 7 homers, 15 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Wells has played in 95 games for the Mariners & Tigers this year and he was 51 for 215 (.237 avg, .759 OPS) with 30 runs scored, 11 homers, 27 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Wells will get to battle for a starting job in the outfield next spring for the Mariners.

The Mariners have shut down 33-year old switch-hitting 3B Chone Figgins for the rest of the season due to a hip injury. Figgins played in 81 games for the Mariners this year and he was 54 for 288 (.188 avg, .484 OPS) with 24 runs scored, 1 homer, 15 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. He has now played in 242 games in his first two years with the Mariners and he is 210 for 890 (.236 avg, .595 OPS) with 86 runs scored, 2 homers, 50 RBIs and 53 stolen bases. This was Figgins’ second year of a 4-year, $36 million buck contract that he signed to leave the Angels. He has been a GIGANTIC bust for the Mariners.

The Mariners have shut down 24-year old righty reliever Daniel Cortes for the year due to a broken hand which he injured in an off the field accident. Cortes pitched in 10 games (0 starts) for the Mariners this year and he was 0-2 with a 5.91 ERA and a 1.78 WHIP. Cortes has now pitched in 14 games (0 starts) in his first two years with the Mariners and he is 0-3 with a 5.06 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP. This was a bad break for Cortes as he was going to pitch out of the pen for the rest of the year. Cortes came into this season as the Mariners’ #10 prospect according to Baseball America.