Brendan Donovan is inching closer to a return, and the Mariners finally have something to feel good about on the injury front - even if they still aren’t ready to rush him.
Donovan ramped up his work on Monday by running sprints on the field, then followed that with one of his most demanding workouts yet on Tuesday. That session included hard-hit ground balls off the bat of Mariners legend and Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki, and Donovan handled it well. Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reported that the 2025 All-Star said he’s “ready to get back”.
Seattle is still taking the cautious route. The club plans to wait until the end of its current six-game homestand before deciding whether Donovan is ready to begin a formal rehab assignment. Donovan, for his part, expects to be ready to rehab in the minor leagues next week.
If that schedule holds and nothing else gets in the way, Donovan could be back for the Mariners on July 17, right after the All-Star break. That’s the target, anyway. The Mariners have been careful throughout this process, and for good reason.
Donovan’s second stint on the Injured List has gone longer than expected because of a left groin muscle strain, which stems from the sports hernia surgery he had during the offseason. He has played in only 25 of a possible 87 games this season. When he has been on the field, though, he’s produced: a .274 average, .839 OPS, 140 OPS+ and 145 wRC+.
When Donovan returns, the Mariners expect him to slide back into a more flexible role, similar to what he handled in St. Louis.
His time at third base in Seattle has not gone smoothly, but he should still be in the lineup most days and can move around the diamond. He has major league experience at every infield spot, plus both corner outfield positions.
There were other injury developments as well. Dominic Canzone and Luke Raley were out of the lineup again on Tuesday and remain day-to-day. Dan Wilson is optimistic both could be back on Thursday after Wednesday’s off-day, though Justin Hollander did not completely rule out an injured list stint for Raley when he spoke to the media on Monday.
The bullpen also got a fresh arm on Tuesday, with the Mariners bringing up Cole Wilcox and optioning Josh Simpson back to Triple-A Tacoma. Seattle is still waiting on more relief help, with Carlos Vargas expected back at the trade deadline and Matt Brash and Cooper Criswell not due back until mid-to-late August.
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