Nelson Cruz was coming off the disabled list on Saturday and playing that evening against the A’s at Safeco Field. That much was made clear to manager Scott Servais by Cruz on Friday after the Mariners decided to have their slugging designated hitter wait an extra day before officially returning.
“If I didn’t play him, he was going to kill me,” joked manager Scott Servais before Saturday’s game. “That’s enough, you twist the manager’s arm and now you are in there.”
Asked if he would threaten his manager with bodily harm, the hulking but gentle Cruz returned a mischievous smile.