Cruz hopes to play through nagging wrist pain

HOUSTON — Nelson Cruz likely will be dealing with a sore left wrist for the remainder of the season, but the Mariners’ designated hitter was back in the lineup for Monday’s series opener against the Astros and hopes to play through the issue.

“He got it checked out this morning and it’s pretty much what we thought yesterday,” manager Scott Servais said prior to Monday’s game. “It’s something he’s going to have to try to manage and see if he can play through it.

“Hopefully it doesn’t get any worse. That’s always what you’re afraid of. You’ll probably see less swings — Nellie likes to hit a lot in the cage [and in batting practice] on the field. You’ll probably see him do less of that to kind of save his bullets.”

Cruz hit four home runs in the three-game weekend series in Minnesota, including one on the first pitch after trainers came out to look at his wrist following a swing and miss in the sixth inning of Sunday’s finale. But he stepped back into the box and hit a home run on the next offering from Hector Santiago, though Servais pinch-hit for him in the eighth inning with the Mariners still leading by just a run in the 4-3 victory.

“It’s better than it was yesterday, no doubt,” Cruz said.

The big slugger missed two games in Texas at the end of August when he lost …

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