Injured Adam Moore, left, won't be able to be Miguel Olivo's backup for the time being. / Drew McKenzie, Sportspress Northwest

The Seattle Mariners are in the market for a backup catcher with the news that Adam Moore will be on the shelf for a while with a torn meniscus in his right knee after having an MRI Thursday.

Although surgery hasn’t been scheduled yet, it’s likely to keep Moore out for a substantial portion of the season, one month or possibly two.

The Mariners have a couple of veterans at Triple-A Tacoma in Josh Bard and Chris Gimenez who could fill in. The announcement of a replacement isn’t expected to be made until Friday, and Bard, who spent time with Seattle last year, is thought to be the likely candidate to be promoted.

Neither minor league catcher is on the 40-man roster, so whichever is called up, the team is going to have to clear space on the 40. If Moore is going to be out six weeks or more, it’s likely that he will be put on the 60-day disabled list, which doesn’t count against the 40-man roster.

It’s the second knee injury in two seasons for Moore, who had left knee problems last May that put him on the disabled list. He was healthy within about a month, but the Mariners left him at Tacoma until an August promotion back to the big leagues.

Moore was scrambling after a pitch thrown in the dirt by reliever Brandon League in the eighth inning Wednesday in Texas against the Rangers. He got to the ball quickly, but as he rose to his full height after betting the ball, his right leg seemed to give on him a little.

He had to be assisted off the field, leaving the Mariners with just one healthy catcher, Miguel Olivo.

Twitter: @JHickey3