D-Day nears for Beltre

Cactus League games against the Dodgers on Friday and Giants on Saturday will determine where third baseman Adrian Beltre will be playing on Sunday and beyond.

Manager Don Wakamatsu told reporters this morning that Beltre, who hopes to play for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, would start and play “three or four” innings the next two days to test his surgically-repaired left thumb and shoulder.

If Beltre passes the tests, he would commit to playing in the Classic and report to the Dominican team on Sunday in Florida.

But if there is any discomfort in either his thumb or shoulder, he probably would remain in Arizona with the Mariners.

In other hot-off-the-press news, second baseman Jose Lopez makes his Cactus League debut on Friday and shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt, nursing a sore hamstring, is tentatively scheduled to play Sunday.

— Jim Street