Jesus Montero gets his shot with the Mariners, but will he stick?

Jesus Montero will need a strong three days to ensure a spot with the M's after the All-Star break. (AP)

You’ve heard the news about Jesus Montero – he’s back with the Mariners. But will he still be with the team after the All-Star break?

Montero is guaranteed to be here for the next three days, most likely as the designated hitter against three left-handed starters, Hector Santiago, C.J. Wilson and Andrew Heaney.

I’m guessing the over-under line for Montero remaining with the team after the All-Star break is .300. If he goes 3-for-10 or something in that neighborhood or better, he’ll be with the Mariners in New York next Friday.

If he hits less than that, he’ll probably be shipped back to Tacoma when J.A. Happ returns from his assignment to Class A Bakersfield on July 19.

Of course, I’m hoping he stays for good, even if he goes 0 for 12. If he’s not gangbusters from the get-go, the Mariners should give him time to come around. He shouldn’t be a rent-a-player for three games just because the Angels are starting three lefties.

I hope the Mariners have noticed he’s not a platoon guy who should be used solely against left-handers. Sure, he hit .362 with a 1.072 OPS against left-handers in Tacoma, but he also hit .317 with an .809 OPS against right-handers.

Next week from Monday through Thursday when the Mariners don’t play, they should work him out as a catcher. That’s what he used to be before he made the transition to first base.

You remember that, it wasn’t that long ago. Montero was the Mariners’ everyday catcher in 2012, the year he hit .260 with 15 home runs and 62 RBI, proving he could handle major-league pitching.

He was considered a below-average catcher, but I don’t recall him being dreadful. Point being, maybe playing catcher is something akin to riding a bike, and you don’t need him to be Johnny Bench or Carlton Fisk, you just need him to be halfway decent enough to give Mike Zunino one day off a week.

He won’t be as good defensively as current backup catcher Jesus Sucre, but can we agree he’d be a much better hitter? It would also give him more time to get into a batting groove if Sucre is sent to Tacoma after Happ returns.

Makes perfect sense to me to have Montero DH against lefties while backing up Zunino and Logan Morrison at first base. Morrison needs a break, too – his average has dipped to .231, though he did smack that leadoff home run Thursday night in a rousing 7-2 win over the Angels that featured 19 hits.

Unless someone gets hurt and goes on the DL – it won’t be Austin Jackson; the center fielder is expected back tonight from back spasms that forced him out of Wednesday’s game against Detroit – Montero will probably be a Rainier again on July 19. Unless he tears it up and forces the Mariners to make room for him by dumping someone else.

The Mariners already have a player like Montero in Mark Trumbo, a right-handed power hitter who has eight hits in his last 14 at-bats. Trumbo can play first too, and unlike Montero, he can play in the outfield.

In hindsight, it’s too bad the Mariners didn’t just promote Montero instead of making the trade for Trumbo and losing competent backup catcher Welington Castillo, who by now might have been the starter.

But now we’ll at least get a glimpse of Montero’s possible greatness. I say “possible greatness” because he projects to be a heck of a hitter. That’s why Jack Zduriencik traded Michael Pineda for him.

After seeing how un-athletic Montero was, it made me think he must be a fantastic hitter to compensate for his deficiencies behind the plate.

Now we’ll get a chance to see if he can be a Jay Buhner-type right-handed slugger. How strange would it be if Montero goes from fat slacker to skinny savior, sparking the Mariners to the playoffs while saving Zduriencik’s job?

To my way of thinking, it’s a pipedream that could come true.

The Go 2 Guy also writes for KitsapSun.com and SeattlePI.com. You can reach Jim at jimmoorethego2guy@yahoo.com and follow hi on Twitter @cougsgo.