SAN FRANCISCO -- The Mariners placed designated hitter Nelson Cruz on the disabled list Tuesday morning and recalled utility man Taylor Motter from Triple-A Tacoma as they kicked off an eight-game road trip without three of their key offensive starters.
Cruz sprained his right ankle when he slipped on the dugout steps at Safeco Field on Saturday after hitting his second home run in the season's first two games. He joins catcher Mike Zunino (strained left oblique) and left fielder Ben Gamel (right oblique) on the 10-day disabled list.
Rookie Daniel Vogelbach will fill in for Cruz at designated hitter, but the Mariners have two Interleague games at San Francisco to open the trip and Motter provides some roster versatility.