Questions Still Linger For Kyle Lewis

With a farm system thinned by two years of relentless wheeling and dealing by general manager Jerry Dipoto, the Mariners faced little internal debate regarding the need to protect eligible players from this year’s Rule 5 draft.

The Seattle front office’s recent attention shifted instead to encouraging performances in the Arizona Fall League by two previously unheralded prospects: outfielder Eric Filia and righthanded reliever Art Warren, neither of whom is Rule 5 eligible.

That’s the good news in the player development department.

The flip side is what to make of 22-year-old outfielder Kyle Lewis, the organization’s top prospect who can’t seem to shake the lingering effects of a surgically repaired right knee.

Lewis went 3-for-8 in two games in the AFL before experiencing renewed soreness in his knee after jumping for a fly ball. The Mariners shut him down immediately.

“He was pulled as a conservative measure,” Dipoto said, “after experiencing some tendinitis in the knee. There were no structural issues, and the long-term view remains positive.”

That’s not to say there isn’t concern.

Lewis was the 11th overall pick in 2016 after a College Player of the Year season at Mercer. He played just 30 games at short-season Everett in his debut before suffering a catastrophic knee injury on a play at the plate.

Recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament and torn medial and lateral meniscus took nearly a year. And when he returned in June, Lewis lasted just two games at high Class A Modesto before soreness prompted a further two-week break.

Initially, that seemed to do the trick.

Lewis played regularly once he returned a second time, though as a further precaution he spent most of the time at DH. Even so, he batted .317 in July with five homers and 12 RBIs in 15 games—before fading in August.

In total, Lewis hit .257/.329/.412 in 49 games with seven homers. Club officials were hoping that, after an early September break, Lewis could cap his comeback season with a strong showing in the AFL.

Instead, questions still persist.

“We don’t think we’re dealing with any new issues or damage,” Dipoto said. “The rehab is just taking longer than anticipated.”