The Mariners are likely to reinstate Eugenio Suárez from the injured list tomorrow, president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto told reporters (including Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times and Curtis Crabtree of Fox 13). He’ll be deployed as a designated hitter initially, as the fracture in his right index finger is still inhibiting him defensively.
In even better news for the M’s, Dipoto said star center fielder Julio Rodríguez “looks great” as he rehabs from the lower back strain that sent him to the injured list last week. Dipoto indicated the club anticipates he’ll be ready for reinstatement when first eligible next Monday.
Getting both players back after brief absences is critical for a Mariners team trying to secure its first playoff berth in over two decades. The M’s enter play Monday with an 83-69 record that has them in possession of the American League’s final Wild Card spot. They’re four games clear of the Orioles, and they’re within 2 1/2 games of both the Blue Jays and Rays as they jockey for Wild Card position.
Assuming the Mariners hold onto a playoff spot in some capacity, they look likely to enter the postseason with both Suárez and Rodríguez on the roster. That duo has arguably been Seattle’s top two position players this year. Rodríguez has emerged as the face of the franchise with an incredible rookie season, hitting .280/.342/.502 with 27 home runs and 25 stolen bases across 549 plate appearances. Suárez, meanwhile, leads the team with 31 homers and has a .235/.335/.470 line. It has been a surprising bounceback after a .198/.286/.428 showing his final year with the Reds.
The Mariners have turned to Ty France and Abraham Toro at third base in Suárez’s absence. They’ll presumably continue to split the hot corner until he’s ready to return to action defensively, while Jesse Winker will probably get more action in left field after serving as the DH of late. That’d come at the expense of playing time for Sam Haggerty and Taylor Trammell. Center field, meanwhile, has been the purview of Jarred Kelenic since Rodríguez went down.
Please no more Winker in LF….Kelenic or Swaggy please
Kelenic or DMo over Haggerty who is colder than Winker the last 30 games (though better on defense)
Winker cannot take the field again; he’s an absolute butcher in the outfield. Forget the -15 DRS, he just looks like he’s floundering out there. Given that his bat hasn’t contributed much either, the M’s should look at him as a bench bat once both Suarez and J-Rod are back in the lineup, especially since Suarez will need to DH. Kelenic and Haggerty can platoon in LF (Haggerty is +6 DRS in LF in just 182 innings!)
Wink needs a full off season with his daughter in Buffalo in the worst way.
From what I’ve gathered, the trade really spun his personal life around and he is seeing his daughter waaaay less up here in the NW. But he also signed the extension through next year and seems to have a great relationship with us fans at TMobile so he must enjoy it up here. I think he’s a bounce back candidate next year, but I agree, he is a total headcase right now and we can’t have him stumbling around out there in left when he’s hitting .215
Kelenic, Trammell and Casili won’t make the post season roster, Winker will need to play some LF in the playoffs
Winker has become a stinker
-hoofhearted(who farted)
Kelenic seems to have finally come around, and should continue to get more opportunities. Winker does pose an interruption with Kelenic’s playing time.
I don’t understand why they starts Twinkle then brings Haggerty in late innings for D purpose. Start Swaggie then you have the best defender the whole game. Are they starting him because they signed him to this new contract? Hopefully he can be a trade chip to get rid of him.
How has Kelenic finally come around? He is still only batting a collective .155 on the season. He is an offensive liability for a team that can’t afford to have that in their lineup (alongside Winker) if they truly want to compete come October.
The one good thing about Winker is that he has an excellent eye at the plate. He’s only batting .219 on the season, but his .343 OBP is definitely a plus for the team. I know it takes time to adjust to a different league (AL vs NL) but his offensive drop off from last season is very surprising. I expected 25+ HRs from him along with a .280+ BA as he hit over .300 last year with the Reds.
And to think that Winker was supposed to be the main asset received by the Mariners in their trade with Cincinnati. Suarez was more of a salary dump / throw in to balance out the trade. Winker has to be one of the most disappointing trade acquisitions in all of MLB this season. While Haggerty has been struggling recently, I would prefer to see Seattle to give him a chance to break out of his slump vs. putting Winker or Kelenic in the lineup. Kelenic has been an absolute bust so far in his young MLB career. While he is still young (23) If he is penciled in as a starter next year and can’t hit over .225 then Seattle might have to give up on him. He is an instant rally killer at the plate. He’s above average in the outfield but not as good as a JBJ-type who you can justify starting because of his dominant defensive skills. 2023 is a huge year for Kelenic’s career for sure. Winker also needs to turn things around significantly if he hopes to be a starter going forward as well and if the Mariners truly hope to contend next year. They won’t win anything if Winker and Kelenic are starters and perform they way they did this season.
Since Kelenic’s call up he is 6 for 16 with a homer and 2 doubles. And only 2 k’s. Which was his major flaw.