The Seattle Mariners placed right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma on the 15-day disabled list Friday with a strained lat muscle, and after further examination, the team expects him to miss two to four weeks reports Adam Lewis of MLB.com.
In his Saturday night report, Lewis says that Iwakuma has "a Grade 1 strain of his right lat muscle" that two MRI exams have revealed. Light throwing on two different occasions throughout the week prompted the exams, and the Mariners expect him to rest this week with the intent on throwing lightly again by next weekend.
Indications are that Iwakuma will miss two to four weeks, which would set his return between mid- and late-July. However, Lewis quoted the right-hander, who speaks Japanese, speaking through an interpreter while discussing the optimism he has in returning more toward the early end of that timeframe. Said Iwakuma,
"I'm being optimistic. I'm being very positive with the situation. It's minor. It's not bad as we saw on the MRI, so I want to come back soon and help the team and contribute."
So far in the early going, Iwakuma is 0-1 with a 6.61 ERA and 1.41 WHIP. He has allowed four earned runs in each game while averaging 5.44 innings per start. The injury may answer questions about his poor start. Iwakuma has a proven track record of success: 38-20, 3.27 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and an All-Star appearance in his first three Major League seasons from 2012-2014.