Seattle’s farm system took a pair of hits this week, with top shortstop prospect Felnin Celesten and outfielder Brennen Davis both expected to be done for the season.
Celesten is the bigger name and the tougher loss. The Mariners’ No. 4 prospect, ranked No. 50 in baseball by MLB Pipeline, was placed on the 7-day injured list by Double-A Arkansas on Wednesday with what general manager Justin Hollander called a minor groin issue.
“It’s nothing serious, it’s nothing long-term. But just given where they’re at on their calendar - it’s probably two weeks down - so he will likely miss the rest of the season,” Hollander said.
That calendar matters because the Travelers wrap up their regular season next Sunday. Celesten had been in the middle of a breakout campaign before the injury, piling up 111 games between High-A and Double-A and hitting .273/.363/.458 with 16 homers, 24 doubles, four triples, 25 stolen bases, 54 walks and 120 strikeouts. He also put together a 25-game hitting streak with High-A Everett.
“He had an absolutely phenomenal season, and I know he really wanted to get through the whole season and play almost every day and sort of have that be a goal or accomplishment that he succeeded this year,” Hollander said. “Unfortunately, there’s just no sense in pushing it.”
For Celesten, the lost time lands especially hard after the start to his pro career. Injuries limited him to just 34 games, all of them in 2024, over his first two seasons after he signed with Seattle as an international free agent in 2023.
Davis’ season is also over after he tweaked his oblique in the batting cages while coming back from a hamstring injury. He had last appeared in a game for Triple-A Tacoma on May 29.
The Mariners recalled Davis from Triple-A on Thursday and put him on the 60-day injured list, clearing a 40-man roster spot for outfielder Stuart Fairchild. Davis, once regarded as a top prospect, made a strong impression in spring training after signing a minor-league deal with Seattle, hitting .353 with a 1.274 OPS, four homers and four doubles in 15 Cactus League games.
There was at least some good news for the system on Thursday, too. Everett AquaSox infielder Brandon Eike was named Northwest League Player of the Month for August, while Inland Empire 66ers left-hander Jack Bowery earned California League Pitcher of the Month.
Eike, 24, put together a huge August, collecting 33 hits and batting .339 with a 1.089 OPS, four homers, 11 doubles and 24 RBIs in 24 games. The 2024 13th-round pick is now hitting .291 with an .893 OPS and 24 home runs on the season.
Bowery, 23, went 4-for-4 in August starts, posting a 1.23 ERA and 0.82 WHIP with 20 strikeouts and four walks across 22 innings. The Northeastern product owns a 7-5 record with a 3.88 ERA and 1.33 WHIP, plus 94 strikeouts and 19 walks over 95 innings.
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Seattle is juggling a separate wave of injury updates around the roster, but Brash remains one of the more important names to watch because his return would matter directly to the relief mix. Brendan Donovan is in concussion protocol, Victor Robles has been placed on the Family Medical Emergency list, Nick Davila is headed for an MRI and is expected to miss the season, Cole Wilcox could be back soon, Brennen Davis is out for the season and Emerson Hancock continues to move forward in his recovery, leaving Brashs stalled progress as the latest concern to shadow the Mariners. [Read more 🡒]