Pregame notes: Anthony Kay Cactus League debut

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Last year in this ballpark, Shane Smith hit 99 mph repeatedly on the gun and overwhelmed Mariners hitters with a low-90s changeup so hard and sharp that Statcast read it as a sinker.

In his first start in the US in years, Anthony Kay would probably just be happy with two innings of strike-throwing and clean health. He actually did hit 99 mph last year, but pushing past his comfortable range of 93-95 mph doesn't feel like the most sustainable thing.

"Working as a reliever added a little bit to me as far as velo goes, because you kind of want to go up there and throw as hard as you can," Kay said. "Relieving definitely helped a little bit in knowing that I can get up to that. But as a starter you don't want to go out there and get after it for one inning, you've got to pace yourself a little bit. Try and use it when you need it."

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Will Venable said Colson Montgomery (illness) is expected to return to the lineup on Wednesday, but they will obviously see how he feels in the morning. Everson Pereira's return from right side tightness has a less definitive timeline.

"We don’t have a timetable on when he’s going to be in games," Venable said. "He’s progressing well and feeling better and better every day. Getting treated day to day and make sure he’s good and healthy, especially with that said stuff. You just don’t want to mess around and turn it into a longer stint then it needs to be. So, we’ll just give him a few days here."

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Lenyn Sosa played all of 18 innings at third base last season, but he'll get a few more on Tuesday. After making 47 starts there in 2024, Venable said third base needs to be part of Sosa's game for him to get a suitable amount of at-bats in 2026.

"I think it's got to be," Venable said. "He didn't touch third base a ton last year but has in the past. We want to make sure that he's able to do that, as well as second and first too."

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Everyone loves worrying about the playing time for Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero, so here's another instance where Venable says that Munetaka Murakami and Andrew Benintendi will be taking DH chances as well.

"We certainly want to get as many of these guys in the lineup as possible, knowing that won't be the case every single day," Venable said. "But we'll mix and match and figure out how it all works together when we get in that mode during the regular season."

First pitch: White Sox at Mariners

TV: MLB.TV (Mariners)

Lineups: