M’S Patient With Slumping Cruz; Manzanillo Ready For Brief Rehab

Jose Cruz Jr., is coming to the Seattle Mariners, although probably not as soon as he’d like.

“He’ll get here this year, but we’d like it to be when he’s on a roll in Tacoma,” general manager Woody Woodward said Tuesday. “Right now, he’s struggling. There’s no question he’ll be here, but we don’t want him to come up pressing from the start.”

Woodward, in New York to watch the Mariners and Yankees, also said reliever Josias Manzanillo will spend the week on a rehabilitation assignment.

“We’ll get him one, two appearances, let him get comfortable again,” Woodward said.

Manzanillo, out since being struck in the groin by a batted ball April 8, has recovered from testicular surgery and threw hard in a simulated game Tuesday at Yankee Stadium.

“We could have him back by the road trip that starts next Tuesday,” Woodward said. “Get him an appearance Thursday, another Saturday and if things are fine then he could rejoin us.”

More than likely, that would mean one of two pitchers - veteran Bob Wells or rookie Derek Lowe - would be optioned to Tacoma.

Woodward apparently changed his mind, because Manzanillo joined Tacoma at Salt Lake City and pitched the last two innings in a Rainiers victory.

Woodward remained supportive of manager Lou Piniella, if not quite as staunchly behind reliever Bobby Ayala.

“He’s had success here,” Woodward said. “I’m comfortable with him as long as Lou is. My priority is to get five starting pitchers healthy and pitching well.”

Notes

Ken Griffey did double-promotional duty in New York, attending a signing for his new book - “Junior” - at the All-Star Cafe, in which he is an investor. About 600 autograph seekers attended… . Griffey saw a Maury Povich Show this spring that featured an 11-year-old boy who didn’t want his single mother to marry a man because the man didn’t like baseball. The kid said his favorite player was Griffey, so on Tuesday, Junior gave the boy and his mom - who didn’t marry the man in question - a tour of Yankee Stadium, with cameras from the Povich Show tagging along… . Want evidence of Russ Davis’ improvement over 1996? Last year in 157 at-bats, he had nine doubles. Tuesday in his 80th at-bat, Davis doubled - for the ninth time.

Coming up

Today, Seattle concludes a six-game trip with a 4:35 p.m. PST game that will be televised on Fox Sports Northwest. Probable starting pitchers: Dennis Martinez (1-1, 6.75) vs. David Wells (1-1, 4.26).