The Mariners’ loss to the Athletics on Sept. 3 was only part of a rough day in Seattle. The A’s came in banged up, but the Mariners still had no excuse for dropping the opener of a four-game series. Then the roster news piled on, and it painted the same picture from a different angle: this team keeps having to patch holes on the fly, and the calendar is not doing them any favors.
Victor Robles is the latest absence. Seattle placed the veteran outfielder on the family medical emergency list after he returned to the Dominican Republic, with general manager Justin Hollander saying Robles was going where he “needs to be,” and baseball can wait while he handles an undisclosed family matter.
Robles has to stay away from the club for at least three days and can be on the list for up to seven. To fill the spot, the Mariners selected the contract of Seattle native Stuart Fairchild from Triple-A Tacoma.
Fairchild gives the club a bench option, steady outfield defense and maybe a pinch-hit appearance or two. Seattle has enough outfield depth to cover the loss for now, but it does give up some of the energy Robles brings whenever he gets into a game.
More than anything, though, this is the kind of move that doesn’t need a debate. Robles should be with his family.
Brendan Donovan’s situation is less clear. The phrase “Incrememental progress” sounds promising until the details kick in.
Donovan is still dealing with nausea, fatigue and dizziness near the end of his pregame work, and he has not yet gotten through his full routine without symptoms. That leaves him on the 7-day concussion IL with no definite timetable.
The final hurdle is still the one stopping him, and Seattle can’t really start penciling him into a lineup until his head cooperates.
Once he is cleared, Hollander believes Donovan might need just a game or two with Tacoma before coming back. The Mariners could use that kind of help.
Donovan hit .283 with three doubles and seven RBI in 14 games between his previous IL stint and the batting-cage accident that led to the concussion. His season has been a chain of interruptions, and at some point Seattle needs to see what its offseason addition can do over a healthy stretch.
September may not leave enough room for that.
Then there’s Matt Brash, and this one feels especially frustrating. Seattle has spent weeks waiting for him to become the bullpen reinforcement it badly needs, but now it may have to plan for a longer absence.
Brash was shut down from throwing and underwent another MRI on Sept. 3 after tightness in his right lat surfaced following a bullpen session in Boston. The bullpen work itself was fine; the problem came afterward, when the lat tightened during the recovery phase.
Brash still has not faced live hitters or started a minor-league rehab assignment. Hollander said time is starting to run out, and the Mariners can feel that reality in the numbers.
Brash had a 0.54 ERA and allowed eight hits over 16 2/3 innings before going back on the IL in June. Since then, Seattle’s bullpen ERA has climbed to 4.49, and Mariners relievers entered Sept. 4 with a 7.30 ERA in the seventh and eighth innings during his absence, the worst mark in baseball.
That’s why the Mariners now have to operate as if Brash might not be coming back this season. Even a positive MRI would still leave too many boxes unchecked.
Brash’s health matters more than Seattle’s urgency. But the larger truth is hard to ignore: the Mariners have to win with the roster they have right now, because the one they keep waiting for may never show up.
In Other News...
Mariners Farm System Just Took A Brutal Hit Before The Offseason
The Mariners farm system took another hit late in the season, with shortstop prospect Felnin Celesten likely done for the year after a minor groin injury, according to general manager Justin Hollander. Celesten had been placed on the 7-day injured list at Double-A Arkansas and is now expected to miss the rest of the season, a frustrating setback for one of the organizations more watched infield prospects as the minor league schedule winds down.
Outfielder Brennen Davis is also out for the remainder of the year after an oblique injury landed him on the 60-day injured list, leaving Seattle with one more development loss to absorb before the offseason. There was at least some good news in the system, though, as Brandon Eike and Jack Bowery picked up monthly awards for their August performances, a reminder that the pipeline still has some momentum even with the latest injuries. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners May Be Losing The AL West Rival They Loved Facing
The AL West may be about to get a lot more interesting, and not just because of what happens on the field. Arte Moreno is selling the Los Angeles Angels to billionaire Stan Kroenke, a sports owner whose portfolio already includes several championship-winning franchises, and that kind of change carries real implications for a division that has long been shaped by the Angels uneven results and missed chances.
For Seattle, the timing matters because the Mariners have spent years measuring themselves against a Los Angeles club that has too often looked like a vulnerable target. A new owner with Kroenkes track record could mean a different level of ambition, resources and organizational pressure in Anaheim, and that is the part worth watching now. The Mariners may be seeing one of their most familiar rivals turn into something harder to count on. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Bullpen Concern Just Got Worse With Matt Brash Still Stalled
Matt Brashs road back has hit another pause, and for a Mariners bullpen already trying to hold together its late-season structure, the timing is hardly ideal. The right-handed reliever had an MRI after feeling tightness in his lat area following a bullpen session, a discouraging development for a pitcher who has been out since June 10 with a right lat strain and still has not advanced to live batting practice or game action.
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 🡒]