The Seattle Mariners are taking on the New York Mets on Sunday night in the first ‘Sunday Night Baseball’ game in Seattle since 2004.

And that game just got a whole lot more interesting, as reports indicate that M’s star Julio Rodriguez will be unexpectedly activated from the injured list prior to the start of the contest.

Per Buster Olney of ESPN, who broke the news:

Mariners All-Star Julio Rodriguez is expected to be activated and back in the Seattle lineup Sunday, serving as the designated hitter. Seattle is set to play the Mets on Sunday Night Baseball.
Rodriguez suffered a high ankle sprain on July 21st, while making a play against the center field fence, and has been out since that time. Rodriguez has been making consistent progress in his recovery, and in recent days, he has been testing the ankle by running. It’s unclear when he will return to center field, but his presence in the lineup could give the Mariners a boost at a time when they are fighting the Houston Astros for AL West supremacy.
Rodriguez had started very slowly this season, but in his last nine games before his injury, Rodriguez batted .438 with a 1.281 OPS, with three homers.

High-ankle sprains are notoriously tough, and the ability to return is always dependent on the grade of sprain. Mitch Haniger, for example, suffered a high-ankle sprain in 2022 and was given a 10-12 week timeframe. This is less than four for Rodriguez.

There’s certainly some risk in doing this for Seattle. Rodriguez likely won’t be able to hit top-end speed as a runner and likely won’t be stealing many bases for a while, but his bat can certainly provide the jolt that Olney mentions.

Furthermore, his presence will take away at-bats from the slumping Mitch Garver, which is better for the offense as a whole. It will also push down slumping pieces like Jorge Polanco, lengthening the lineup at the bottom.

As Olney mentions, Rodriguez has struggled this season, but he is a two-time All-Star and a two-time Silver Slugger. This will be his first game with Randy Arozarena, who was acquired at the trade deadline, and the energy around the team should continue to improve.

The M’s are 62-56 and will take on the Mets at 4:10 p.m. PT.

NEW PODCAST IS OUT: The latest episode of the “Refuse to Lose” podcast is out as Brady Farkas talks about the series loss against the Detroit Tigers, Mitch Haniger’s final at-bat and the continued conversation about the future of Scott Servais. Patrick Dubuque, the leader of Baseball Prospectus, joins the show as well. CLICK HERE:

GRIFFEY HISTORY: It was during this week in 2001 that Mariners legend Ken Griffey Jr. became the youngest player in baseball history to reach 450 career home runs.

PITCHING PROWESS: The Mariners have shut out the Mets in back-to-back games. Just how rare is that? CLICK HERE:

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