With Seager ailing, Mariners recall Freeman

CHICAGO — With third baseman Kyle Seager’s health uncertain for the next few days, the Mariners recalled utility man Mike Freeman on Thursday to provide some infield depth and optioned reliever Tony Zych back to Triple-A Tacoma.

Freeman, 29, has played primarily shortstop and second base during his seven years in the Minors, but can fill in at third if needed. Seager sat out Wednesday’s 5-0 loss to the Yankees with a bruised right foot after getting hit by a hard foul ball on Tuesday.

Seager has been extremely durable for the Mariners since being promoted to the Majors in mid-2011, having sat out just 15 games over the past five seasons. Utility man Shawn O’Malley started at third base Wednesday and was there Thursday, but the Mariners will have a hard time replacing the production of Seager, who is batting .286 with 24 home runs and a team-leading 83 RBIs.

Manager Scott Servais is hoping Seager might be back in a day or two at the most.

“Optimistically, fingers crossed, I’m hoping he’ll be in there [Friday],” Servais said. “But I’d say we’re 50-50 on that right now. He’s pretty sore. We need him, there’s no doubt. They have tough matchups with all the lefties, but even more so defensively and what he brings every night and just being a key guy in the middle of that lineup. We miss him when he’s not in there.”

The left-handed-hitting Freeman played two games for Seattle earlier this month — one at short and one at second — and was 2-for-6 with an …

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