The Mariners got more than a rough night on Friday when Lazaro Montes had to leave with a hip issue after a violent collision with the right field wall.
Montes was sprinting after a fly ball off Zack Gelof’s bat that looked headed for the seats in right when he slammed into the wall and went down hard. Even after the hit, he still managed to flip the ball to Julio Rodríguez in center so it could be thrown back in, then stayed on the ground in pain for several long moments.
Rodríguez helped him to his feet, and the training staff checked him out before Montes remained in the game for two more hitters. He even made a play on a hard line drive in front of him. But during a pitching change, the trainers returned, Dan Wilson joined them, and Montes was pulled.
“I think he felt good enough to stay in there, but then on the play he came in on the ball he kinda felt it, so I think that was a natural time to get him out,” said Wilson. “On the play where he came in and charged, I think he felt it a little bit more than he thought. So at that point, I thought it was a good time to get him out of there and make sure that he checked out okay.”
The team later said Montes exited with left hip soreness. He had a noticeable mild limp as he left the field, though the x-rays came back negative.
“We’ll see how he is in the morning and see if anything else is further needed at this point,” said Wilson.
If Montes needs time off, the most likely fill-in would be prospect Michael Arroyo, but Tacoma is on the road in Albuquerque this week, so he probably can’t get there right away. Arroyo had a strong night for the Rainiers against the Isotopes, finishing with two hits, including a triple, and a sacrifice fly in an 11-6 loss.
In Other News...
Julio Rodriguez Is Giving Mariners A Long Term Problem They Can't Ignore
Julio Rodriguez is still contributing enough at the plate to keep the Mariners invested, but the shape of his season has become harder to ignore. His offensive profile has trended backward since his rookie year, and in 2026 he has settled at a .245 average with a .306 on-base percentage while still managing a respectable .708 OPS and 104 OPS+.
The bigger concern for Seattle is that the decline is not limited to one side of the ball. Rodriguez went from plus-9 runs saved last season to minus-4 this year, and when a player with his pedigree starts sliding both offensively and defensively, it puts the organization in an uncomfortable spot. The Mariners do not need a referendum on his talent, but they do need a clearer answer on where this is headed. [Read more 🡒]
Kade Anderson Is Forcing Mariners Fans To Reconsider One Rotation Hope
Kade Andersons first stretch in the majors has been bumpy, and it has given Mariners fans a reason to slow down on the early excitement around one of the organizations rotation hopes. The rookie has allowed several earned runs in his first few starts, but the underlying ingredients still look encouraging enough to keep the long view intact. His pitch mix has already shown it can work, which is usually the first sign a young starter has something worth developing.
What Anderson is learning now is less about raw stuff than about how to survive lineups that punish mistakes fast. The next step is sharpening pitch location and sequencing, the kind of refinement that often separates a promising arm from a reliable big-league starter. There is still room for optimism, too, since experience tends to settle this sort of adjustment, and a little more velocity could help the whole package play up if the command follows. [Read more 🡒]
Julio Rodrguez Got Dragged Into A Viral Yankees Game Rumor
The oddball moment that followed Julio Rodrguez around after a Yankees game started with a viral clip and quickly turned into one of those baseball-internet stories that takes on a life of its own. What looked like a shocking scene in real time drew immediate attention, especially because it involved a Mariners player and a bird in the middle of a big-league game, and the noise only grew once fans began repeating the rumor online.
Rodrguez and Mariners bullpen catcher Justin Novak later cleared up the confusion, saying the ball did strike the pigeon but did not kill it. The bird was only concussed, then looked after by the grounds crew and bullpen members during the game, even as the crowd kept chanting pigeon killer at Rodrguez. [Read more 🡒]