Mariners Moose Tracks, 5/22/25: Ronel Blanco, Jean Segura, and Jared Jones

Happy retirement, Jean!

Hello everyone! It’s George Kirby Day! Here’s everything you need to know before game time.

In Mariners news...

• South Side Sox provided the White Sox perspective of Seattle’s one-run win in the series finale.
• Seattle-area radio host Marc James is facing backlash after insulting Ryan Rowland-Smith’s accent during a recent episode of James’ show.
• Cameron Van Til checked in on five Mariners prospects who are hitting well recently.

Around the league...

• Astros right-hander Ronel Blanco is being evaluated for elbow soreness. Blanco last pitched on Saturday against the Rangers.
• Former Mariner Jean Segura has decided to retire.
• Young Pirates right-hander Jared Jones will undergo Tommy John surgery, taking him out for the rest of 2025 and likely most of 2026.
• Shohei Ohtani’s pitching rehab continues, as he was able to mix in breaking balls during his throwing sessions for the first time on Tuesday.
• Kiley McDaniel at ESPN updated his list of the top 50 prospects in the sport.
• Robbie Ray is back to his dominant old self, writes Ben Clemens at Fangraphs.
• In the end, money really does buy success in baseball, writes andy McCullough at The Athletic. ($)
• Speaking of the haves and have-nots...

• Banning the shift didn’t work, and it’s time to bring it back, writes Russell A. Carleton at Baseball Prospectus. ($)
• Davy Andrews at Fangraphs took a deep dive into the new bat tracking metrics.