Josh Naylor will sit out Tuesday’s series opener against the New York Yankees, leaving the Seattle Mariners without another regular as they try to claw through a rough stretch.
Manager Dan Wilson said Naylor is dealing with right wrist soreness. Wilson would not say whether Naylor will be available later in the series, though the hope is to have him back for Game 2 on Wednesday.
The absence lands at an awkward moment for Seattle, which has dropped four straight and scored just four runs over that span. The Mariners have also been blanked in two of their last six games and now sit at 56-63, 4.5 games behind in the American League West.
With 43 games left, Seattle is looking for production from just about everywhere it can find it. That need only grows more pressing with Naylor sidelined.
In the first season of the $92.5 million contract he signed last offseason, Naylor has put together a frustrating year by his standards. He’s hitting .263 with 10 home runs and 42 RBIs, but his 23 stolen bases have helped push his OPS+ to 102.
Against Yankees left-hander Ryan Weathers, the Mariners will turn to Weston Wilson at first base. Brendan Donovan is also in the lineup, starting at third base.
There was some movement on the injury front elsewhere in the organization as well. Carlos Vargas pitched for Triple-A Tacoma on Tuesday as he continues his recovery from a lat injury that has wiped out his season so far. He worked a scoreless fourth inning for the Rainiers, allowing two hits and striking out one.
Matt Brash is also getting closer to a rehab assignment, though it doesn’t sound close enough to happen right away. Brash has been working back from an arm injury suffered in June, and Wilson said he is "touching the slope," meaning he’s making some throws from the mound area, but nothing that qualifies as a "bullpen."
Bryan Woo, meanwhile, will again try to lean on his fastball after doing just that in his last outing, a 7.0-scoreless-inning performance against the Detroit Tigers.
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