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Mariners News: Jesus Sucre Begins Rehab Assignment in Tacoma
The Seattle Mariners gained even more depth behind the plate on Monday, as Jesus Sucre began his rehab assignment in Tacoma with the Rainiers.
Jesus Sucre began his rehab assignment with the Tacoma Rainiers on Monday night. The 28-year-old catcher fractured his right fibula this past winter while playing for the Navegantes del Magallanes of the Venezuelan Winter League. Sucre missed six months recovering from surgery before joining the Rainiers last night for his first official action of the 2016 season.
It was an inauspicious start for Sucre, as he went 0 for 3 against the Fresno Grizzles. However, prior to joining the Rainiers, Sucre fared well in four appearances with the Mariners’ affiliate in the Arizona Rookie League. He went 4 for 10 with 1 run scored and 4 RBI on the desert.
Sucre made this big league debut with the Mariners in May of 2013. He hit .192 with 0 home runs and 3 RBI across 8 games with the M’s. Sucre got another shot in Seattle during the 2014 season, in which he slashed .213/.213/.246 in 21 games. He stepped into the backup catcher role last season, and hit .157 with 1 home run and 7 RBI through 52 games.
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Obviously, Sucre has struggled to produce with the stick during his brief big league career. All told, he boasts a .176/.206/.229 slash line with 1 home run and 15 RBI across 81 games with the Mariners. Sucre has struck out 39 times in 235 plate appearances while working just 8 free passes.
Sucre may not be the most dangerous hitter in baseball, but he does do an effective job of defending behind the plate. He has committed just 4 errors across 610.1 innings played en route to registering a .993 fielding percentage. Sucre has also gunned down 40% of base stealers during his career, and has posted a positive dWAR in every season with the Mariners.
It’s clear that Sucre is never going to contend for a batting title in Seattle, but he has shown glimpses of knowing how to handle the bat in the minors. He has a .278/.313/.340 slash line with 10 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs and 26 RBI across 78 games in the Pacific Coast League. Those are respectable numbers for a backstop.
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The Mariners currently have a logjam behind the plate, and barring an injury, Sucre will likely spend the entire summer with the Rainiers. Chris Iannetta has done a nice job as the Mariners’ everyday catcher in 2016, hitting .231 with 7 home runs and 19 RBI through 60 games. Steve Clevenger is not exactly shining as the backup catcher, but he is getting the job done. Unlike Sucre, Clevenger hits from the left side, which makes him a handy bat to have on the bench.
The most likely scenario is that Sucre will be Mike Zunino‘s backup in Tacoma. Z started hot with the Rainiers, but he has hit just .217 over his last 47 games. Sucre could steal a few starts, but the Mariners want Zunino to play everyday.
However, it is worth noting that Jesus Sucre could be recalled to Seattle before Zunino if Iannetta or Clevenger goes down with an injury. The Mariners are hopeful Zunino will rediscover his stroke this season on the farm, and they do not want to rush him back to the show. But Sucre is a known commodity, and the organization has much lower expectations for him.
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I highly doubt Sucre factors heavily into Jerry Dipoto‘s longterm plan, but it will interesting to track his progress this summer in Tacoma. Don’t be surprised if the Mariners add Sucre when the rosters expand in September.