Mariner Notes on Ex-Rattlers

Plenty of ex-Rattler news in Corey Brock's Mariner Notes section of the M's home page.

Hot topic: Catcher Jeff Clement, Seattle's No. 1 draft pick in 2005, was hit on the right middle finger on Mike Morse's backswing last week. A hole was drilled in his fingernail to relieve pressure and drain blood. A precautionary MRI came back negative, meaning that Clement only missed a day of workouts before resuming catching and hitting drills.

"You get beat up quite a bit but that's just how the position is," Clement said. "We all know that, so you just deal with it. If you're tentative, you're going to get hurt more."

On the move: Left-handed pitcher Ryan Feierabend has thrown the ball well during the first few weeks of Spring Training, though no matter how well he pitches, he will begin the season as part of the starting rotation with Triple-A Tacoma. Feierabend, who had a 3.71 ERA in four September starts, showed a lot of poise for a 21-year-old in the Major Leagues last season. If Seattle gets in pinch for pitching, he would likely be the one the Mariners would recall first.

On the pine: Infielder Oswaldo Navarro, who is likely ticketed to start the season with Tacoma, is close to being fully recovered from a sprained knee that he suffered playing winter ball in Venezuela. Navarro started taking ground balls on Sunday.

They're No. 1: We mentioned Clement and his finger. Adam Jones, the Mariners' first-round pick in 2003, is showing no ill effects from a cut he suffered on his left hand in the first week of camp trying to stop himself from running into a fence. Jones has an outside chance of making the Opening Day roster but might be better served playing on an everyday basis with Tacoma.

Stat machine -- 2: The number of quality catchers the Mariners figure to have at Tacoma this season in Clement and Rob Johnson. Both need to log time behind the plate, so look for Clement -- who has more offensive upside -- to DH when he's not catching.