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Some unfortunate news out of Clinton, as Mariners first round draft pick DJ Peterson took a pitch off the face and will miss the rest of the season with a broken jaw. Peterson had surgery yesterday, and he'll have his jaw wired shut for six weeks, according to Ryan Divish.
It's a bummer, but nothing devastating. Clinton's season is nearly over, and while Peterson was hitting quite well (.293/.346/.576), he's expected to recover without much consequence. He finishes the year with 13 homers in 55 games across Everett and Clinton. Peterson's estimated recovery time puts him right on schedule to return in time for the Arizona Fall League, if the Mariners do decide to send him there.
Fortunately, the Peterson news is paired with some great news about Mike Zunino, who is getting close to returning. Zunino has been out a month, but has been catching bullpens and could start a rehab assignment next week. It looks like the Mariners will get to see Zunino again this season.
From the same article, Divish passes on some questions posed to Z about Taijuan Walker getting a September call-up. It's a possibility, but Walker hasn't been quite as sharp in AAA as you'd like to see before a promotion. He's likely also nearing some sort of innings limit. I really don't see any reason for the Mariners to start Walker's clock before they need to, and it would be short-sighted to call him up before 2014. Patience. He's only going to get better, and the Mariners should savor as many of those special years as they can.