Robinson Cano hits the disabled list for the first time in 11 years

There will be children at Tuesday night’s Seattle Mariners game who weren’t alive the last time star second baseman Robinson Cano was on the disabled list. That was 2006, back when Cano was playing his second season for the New York Yankees.

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The M’s sent Cano to the disabled list for just the second time in his career Tuesday. It’s a 10-day stint for an injured quad. Cano could be back sooner, however, as his DL trip is retroactive to May 13. He hasn’t played in the Mariners’ last five games.

It’s tough to say whether this says more about the Mariners, whose disabled list is as crowded as the first Starbucks these days, or Cano, whose durability over his 13-year career is underrated. Just consider this fact:

No team was busier than the Mariners last offseason and their transaction list still isn’t getting a day off. The Mariners now have 11 players on the disabled list, which is the most in baseball, one more than the Los Angeles Dodgers. Among them starting pitchers Felix Hernandez, Drew Smyly, Hisashi Iwakuma, James Paxton and outfield Mitch Haniger, who was off to a hot start before he was injured. The Mariners are currently 18-21, which isn’t nearly as bad as they could be.

Meanwhile, Cano offers a reminder about how that 10-year deal of his might not be as bad as some people thought when he signed it. He’s had his down moments — while he fought through health issues and didn’t go on the disabled list, mind you — but he’s never missed more than six games in a season while in Seattle. And last season, at age 34, he was among the most valuable players in the American League.

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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz