Mariners’ Cano gets permission to play winter ball

Robinson Cano (Toru Takahashi/AP)

SEATTLE — Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano has received permission from the club to play winter ball games in his native Dominican Republic.

Cano plans to play for Estrellas Orientales before joining Seattle at spring training in Peoria, Arizona, next month. Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik said Cano approached the team, which "granted him permission to play in a limited amount of games."

Zduriencik says Cano reports his broken right pinkie toe is fully healed and he "wants to get on a baseball field to test it before reporting for spring training."

In November, Cano broke the toe during the Major League Baseball All-Stars tour of Japan when he was hit by a pitch on the right foot.

In his first season of a $240 million, 10-year contract, Cano batted .314 with 14 homers and 82 RBIs.

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