Robinson Cano has been granted permission by the Seattle Mariners to play a handful of games in the Dominican Winter League starting Tuesday as he returns from a broken toe sustained during the MLB All-Star Series in Japan the month of November.
Cano is expected to be used primarily as a designated hitter for Estrellas de Oriente. At that point, the club has five remaining round-robin playoff games and a chance to advance further to the final round after Jan. 17.
Cano, 32, broke a toe on his right foot when he was hit by a pitch in an exhibition game against Samurai Japan on Nov. 15. He was held out of baseball activities for about a month while the foot healed, but he is now fully recovered.
He asked Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik this week if it would be OK to take part in a few games in his homeland this winter.
“Robinson approached us about playing games in the Dominican Winter League and we have granted him permission to play in a limited amount of games,” Zduriencik said. “Robinson has reported to us his broken right pinkie toe is fully healed and he wants to get on a baseball field to test it before reporting for Spring Training. We look forward to Robinson reporting to Peoria, Ariz., in a little over a month ready to go for the 2015 season.”
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