The Mariners are waiting on another uncomfortable update involving Brendan Donovan, who was struck in the head by a baseball in the batting cages before Saturday’s game and is being evaluated, according to the M’s public relations X account.
It’s the kind of moment that immediately overshadows whatever came before it. Seattle had just felt better about itself after Friday’s hard-fought extra-innings win over the Chicago Cubs, but that mood has already given way to concern.
Donovan’s absence would also hit the lineup in a big way. The 2025 All-Star has been limited to 39 games in his first season with Seattle because of a left groin strain, but he has been productive when available.
In 159 plate appearances, the left-handed hitting third baseman is batting .277 with a .371 on-base percentage, .409 slugging percentage and .780 OPS, along with three home runs and 15 RBIs. He also put together three straight multi-hit games before this latest setback.
Seattle brought Donovan in during a three-team trade with the St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays in February, viewing him as the kind of difference-making lead-off option the club needed.
Instead, his long stay on the injured list has been part of why the offense has struggled so badly. With Cal Raleigh, Josh Naylor and Julio Rodriguez also going through drop-offs, the Mariners’ lineup has become one of the least productive groups in MLB.
The pitching staff is now being asked to carry the load and keep Seattle afloat while the offense tries to catch up to expectations. The Mariners are 61-68 and three games back of the final Wild Card spot.
Losing Donovan would make the climb even steeper, but the bigger issue right now is simple: his health comes first.
In Other News...
Kade Andersons Debut Showed Mariners Fans Both Promise And A Warning
Kade Andersons first night in a Mariners uniform offered the kind of mixed snapshot that often comes with a young pitchers debut. Seattles top prospect had already built plenty of momentum in the Minors, and he carried that pedigree onto the big-league stage by working into the sixth inning, showing the poise and stuff that made the organization eager to bring him up.
The warning came just as the outing started to turn. Anderson allowed back-to-back home runs to bring his night to a close, finishing with three earned runs allowed on five hits, along with two walks and five strikeouts. For the Mariners, it was a reminder that the ceiling is real, but so is the learning curve, and the next step will be seeing how quickly Anderson responds after a debut that showed both. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Now Face A Kade Anderson Question They Didnt Expect
Kade Andersons first big league start gave the Mariners exactly the kind of glimpse they had been waiting for, even if it was not a spotless one. The pitching prospect held things together for 4 scoreless innings before the game tightened on him in the fifth and sixth, finishing with 5 2/3 innings, three runs allowed on five hits and two walks, with five strikeouts in his MLB debut.
For Seattle, the outing was both encouraging and revealing, because it showed the fast-track version of what Anderson might mean to the rotation while also raising the obvious next question about how the club wants to use him from here. The Mariners still walked away with a 5-4 win on a walk-off homer, but Andersons debut made it clear the team now has a real decision to make about a pitcher it may need sooner than expected. [Read more 🡒]
Bryan Woo May Have Given Mariners A Huge Rotation Sign
Bryan Woos latest bullpen session offered the kind of update the Mariners have been waiting for after shoulder soreness forced him out of a start early and then kept him from making his next one. The right-hander said he felt good working through the session and was confident enough to throw his full mix, including his breaking balls, while getting encouraging feedback from the pitching coaches and teammates watching him.
For Seattle, the encouraging part is not just that Woo got through the work, but that it came with a clearer sense of how he is approaching the rest of the season. He stressed the need to balance rest with what the team needs, which matters for a rotation that has leaned on him and still wants him available down the stretch. The Mariners will now be watching the next step closely to see how quickly that progress translates into game action. [Read more 🡒]