After an injury scare on Saturday, the Seattle Mariners and Julio Rodriguez received positive news regarding the star center fielder’s sore right quad muscle.
Manager Scott Servais announced that medical scans on Rodriguez’s right leg came back clean.
“He’s going to be fine,” Servais said on Sunday morning. “He’s just a little sore. … I think we avoided anything real serious.”
Although Rodriguez was out of the lineup to start the game, his day was far from uneventful.
Inserted as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning, Rodriguez was hit by a 96-mph sinker from Blue Jays reliever Zach Pop, which grazed the protective guard on Rodriguez’s left elbow.
Rodriguez did not take the field in the top of the ninth. Luke Raley took over in center field, and Dylan Moore played left field.
Rodriguez’s day ended when he was ejected from the dugout by home-plate umpire Jordan Baker in the bottom of the ninth, apparently arguing a third strike called on teammate Mitch Garver.
Before Sunday’s game, Rodriguez said he was “OK,” but declined to offer more details. He was scheduled for further treatment from the Mariners’ training staff.
The 23-year-old felt discomfort in his quad during sprints in pregame warmups on Saturday. He started the game in center field but was lifted after the top of the first inning due to persistent discomfort.
Rodriguez, mired in a prolonged slump, was coming off his best game of the season on Thursday, when he homered and doubled in a comeback victory over the Orioles.
“We need this guy,” Servais said. “The frustrating thing is he was starting to see the timing with where he was at the plate. So hopefully this is not a setback there at all, and I don’t suspect it will be.”
Robles Hits First Homer
Victor Robles replaced Rodriguez in the lineup on Sunday, making his first start for the Mariners in center field. In his first at-bat, Robles hit his first home run for the team.
Robles turned on an inside fastball from Toronto starter Jose Berrios, belting it 424 feet to left field and giving the Mariners a 1-0 lead in the third inning. It was his first homer since September 27, 2022, with the Washington Nationals.
Robles also walked and stole a base on Sunday.
Since signing with the Mariners as a free agent in early June, Robles has played sparingly but has been productive in limited at-bats, hitting .350 (7-for-20) with a homer and two doubles.
Robles is part of a left-field platoon, but the Mariners have not faced many left-handed starting pitchers recently.
“The thing that stands out about Victor — he may have one of the most upbeat, positive personalities of anybody in our clubhouse,” Servais said. “And it’s hard when you’re not playing that much. But he shows up every day with a smile on his face.”
Woo, Santos Nearing Return
Bryan Woo reported feeling good after his 45-pitch rehab start with the High-A Everett AquaSox on Saturday night. Mixing in a new mystery pitch, Woo threw his scheduled 45 pitches (24 strikes), with two walks and two strikeouts, surrendering a home run to the right-field short porch at Funko Field.
Reliever Gregory Santos also pitched in Everett on Saturday, his second rehab outing. He was efficient and “electric,” as Servais put it, needing just eight pitches to throw a perfect inning with one strikeout.
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