Seattle, WA
Could Seattle Mariners' injuries hasten prospect callups?
The Seattle Mariners’ infield was already a question mark heading into the season.
After a brutal stretch of injuries, it’s now a major concern.
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Second baseman Ryan Bliss needs surgery to repair a torn biceps and is expected to be out four to five months. Switch-hitter Jorge Polanco, who was slated to be the team’s everyday third baseman, is dealing with a sore oblique that’s limited him to a left-handed designated hitter role.
And with right fielder Victor Robles expected to miss at least 12 weeks with a shoulder injury, Luke Raley is moving from a part-time role at first-base into an everyday role in right field.
With their infield depth stretched thin, could the Mariners accelerate their timeline for calling up highly touted second baseman Cole Young and third baseman Ben Williamson from Triple-A Tacoma?
Mariners insider Shannon Drayer, who was asked that question Friday on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy, doesn’t expect the organization to adjust its plans for either of the two prospects. With Young and Williamson each having spent just two weeks at the Triple-A level, Drayer thinks the Mariners will remain careful not to rush their development.
“I don’t think anybody is going to be rushed – and certainly not at this point of the season – because of what’s going on right now,” Drayer said. “You still have time to give them time, which I’m sure nobody wants to hear right now, but it’s kind of the reality of the situation.
“So I don’t think that we see them right away. I think we see them when they’re ready. … (And) I don’t think either are there right now, so I don’t think that would be an option.”
Young, a 2022 first-round high school draft pick, is MLB Pipeline’s No. 46 overall prospect and Baseball America’s No. 53 overall prospect. At just 21 years old, he opened the season as the second-youngest player in the Pacific Coast League, according to Baseball America.
Known for his smooth left-handed swing and advanced bat-to-ball skills, Young hit .271 with nine home runs and a .759 OPS in 124 games at Double-A Arkansas last year. But he’s gotten off to a slow start at Triple-A Tacoma, batting just .178 with one triple, two doubles and a .569 OPS in 45 at-bats.
Drayer thinks sometime around midseason would be a reasonable point for Young to make his MLB debut.
“These guys coming up – especially your higher-round picks, the guys that you have been touting for a long time – you don’t want them to come up and struggle or fail. … This could be your future second baseman here. You’re going to bring him up at the right time.”
Williamson, a 2023 second-round pick, is a top-15 prospect in Seattle’s farm system according to both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America. The 24-year-old third baseman is known for his elite defense, which he’s already showcased with multiple highlight-reel plays at Tacoma this season.
Williamson doesn’t have much power, with just four homers in 148 career minor-league games. But he does have a .282 batting average in the minors, including a .286 average with three doubles and a .661 OPS in 49 at-bats at Tacoma this season.
Drayer said Williamson’s bat will ultimately determine when he arrives in Seattle.
“Ben Williamson could come up tomorrow and win a Gold Glove at third base,” Drayer said. “That’s probably a little bit of a stretch, but he can be that good from what the scouts are saying, and we certainly saw evidence of that in spring training.
“But if he’s not hitting, that’s gonna affect his fielding as well. So they want to be careful with these guys.”
Listen to the full conversation with Mariners insider Shannon Drayer at this link or in the audio player near the middle of this story. Tune in to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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Thanks to Carrie Brown for the westward view of our Saturday night sunset. The high today hit 68 at the airport – eight degrees above normal – but nowhere near the record for this date, which was 89 degrees back in 2016. The forecast suggests two more days of partly sunny, almost-70-degree weather, before the chance of rain returns.
CHICAGO (AP) — The struggling New York Mets placed former Seattle Mariners second baseman/designated hitter Jorge Polanco on the 10-day injured list on Saturday with a right wrist contusion.
Mariners Injury Update: Latest on Robles, Vargas and more
The move was made retroactive to Wednesday, a day after Polanco went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts in a 2-1 loss at the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 32-year-old Polanco is batting .179 (10 for 56) with a homer and two RBIs in his first season with New York, which has lost nine straight.
“When doctors first took a look at him, it looked like he got hit by a pitch when he didn’t,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “In talking to him, it was just a couple of swings that he took that night. … He didn’t think much of it, but just got worse the following day.
“So you just got to let it calm down a little bit and then we’ll go from there. But we don’t have a timetable for how long this is going to last.”
Polanco, who signed a two-year, $40 million contract with the Mets in December, also has been dealing with an ankle issue.
“He was trending in the right direction,” Mendoza said of the ankle injury. “It’s definitely going to help, obviously now with him being shut down. But the biggest thing now is that we’ve got to take care of that wrist.”
Polanco spent the previous two seasons with the Mariners, who acquired him in a February 2024 trade with the Minnesota Twins.
Polanco struggled during his first season with Seattle in 2024, hitting just .213 with 16 homers in 118 games while playing through a knee injury that didn’t become public knowledge until after the season.
But after the Mariners somewhat surprisingly brought him back for a one-year contract in 2025, Polanco rebounded to hit .265 with 26 homers and an .821 OPS in 138 games last season. He then added three homers during Seattle’s playoff run, along with a 15th-inning walkoff single in Game 5 of the American League Division Series that sent the Mariners to their first ALCS in 24 years.
Seattle Sports staff made additions to this post.
Mariners RHP Bryce Miller to begin rehab assignment
Seattle, WA
Brandon Nimmo hits leadoff homer, Jacob deGrom works 4 scoreless as Rangers beat Seattle Mariners 5-0
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – APRIL 17: Corey Seager #5 of the Texas Rangers tags out Dominic Canzone #8 of the Seattle Mariners during the fourth inning at T-Mobile Park on April 17, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
SEATTLE – Brandon Nimmo hit a leadoff home run, Jacob deGrom threw four shutout innings and Gavin Collyer earned his first career win as the Texas Rangers beat the Seattle Mariners 5-0 on Friday night.
Seattle lost its fourth straight game, and was shut out for the fourth time in 21 games, falling to 8-13. The Mariners were shut out six times during the 2025 season. Texas won its third straight game.
Nimmo led off the game with a 372-foot shot to right field off Mariners starter Logan Gilbert (1-3). It was Nimmo’s 16th career leadoff homer and second of the season. He also hit a leadoff home run on April 11 in a 6-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
DeGrom effectively maneuvered through Seattle’s lineup, and worked out of a one out, bases-loaded jam in the first inning. The two-time Cy Young Award winner recorded two of his three strikeouts after walking Josh Naylor to load the bases. Randy Arozarena fanned on a curveball, and Luke Raley swung through a fastball.
Texas added to its lead after Nimmo’s homer. Wyatt Langford’s single to left scored Corey Seager, who led off the third inning with a double. The Rangers stretched the lead to 3-0 on an RBI single from Jake Burger in the seventh.
The Mariners’ best scoring chance came in the sixth after Collyer (1-0), who worked 1 1/3 scoreless innings, left the game.
J.P. Crawford singled to left off Tyler Alexander with two out, and Mariners third base coach Carlos Cardoza sent Naylor from second base, but he was thrown out by Langford.
Texas added two more runs in the ninth on a sacrifice fly by Andrew McCutchen and an RBI double by Josh Jung.
Seattle third baseman Brendan Donovan left the game early due to a left hip issue.
Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller, who started the year on the injured list with a left oblique injury, was at T-Mobile Park for the first time this season. He will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma on Saturday.
Up next
Mariners RHP George Kirby (2-2, 3.25) will face Rangers righty Nathan Eovaldi (2-2, 5.40) on Saturday afternoon.
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