By Paul L. Taylor Posted on

Mariners trending towards being whole again but plenty still to do

The Mariners have gotten some key players back from injury, but the road ahead remains uneven and fraught with tough challenges.

If we’d told you prior to this season the Mariners would be 24-27 after 51 games but only one game out of a wild card spot, most fans would have taken it. Sure it helps that the American League has been underwhelming so far in 2026, but this is the least the organization deserves after all the key injuries they’ve endured.

Most ballclubs would be struggling if they’d been without the likes of Cal Raleigh, Brendan Donovan, Bryce Miller, Matt Brash and Gabe Speier. Now throw in Victor Robles and Carlos Vargas, who’ve both played their part during their respective tenures in Seattle, and it makes sense why the Mariners have yet to live up to the preseason predictions as favorites to represent the AL in the World Series.

Now though, with nearly one-third of the season complete, the Mariners are beginning to get back their walking-wounded and become whole again. First up, Miller officially returned from his left oblique strain last week and has looked good so far, with a 1.64 ERA and 1.000 WHIP in 11.0 combined innings over two starts.

More Mariners reinforcements to help the cause

Next up was Brash, who was reinstated from the 15-day Injured List on Wednesday after dealing with right lat inflammation. And he carried on right where he left off, pitching a scoreless seventh inning in the series finale versus the White Sox to extend his streak to 15 appearances to begin this season without allowing an earned run.(He went 19 appearances to begin last year without giving up an earned run.)

Now it’s the turn of Robles, who was recalled on Friday after being on the 10-day Injured List since April 8 (retroactive to April 7) with a right pec strain. He arguably has more to prove compared to Miller and Brash, with him yet to rediscover the magic which saw him bat .328 with a .860 OPS and 153 OPS+ in 2024 during his first season in Seattle.

Robles was compromised by long-term injury issues last year, but this season saw him begin with an underwhelming .231 batting average and poor .538 OPS in five games. However, the talent is still there to tap into, for someone previously heralded as a five-tool player and who had an important role in helping the Nationals win the World Series in 2019.

Mariners need a health Cal Raleigh ASAP

Of the remaining players on the Injured List, Raleigh is clearly the most crucial, but — along with Speier — his expected return date is still to be determined. Donovan and Vargas are both currently projected to return at some point during June, along with Miles Mastrobuoni and Will Wilson.

Of course even as the Mariners start to get their injured players back, it isn’t just a simple case of snapping their fingers and beginning to win with more frequency. They might be the most talented roster in their division and among the best in the AL as a whole on their day, but games aren’t won on paper.

Give Dan Wilson and the players more time

There’s been plenty of criticism surrounding the Mariners regardless of their rash of injuries, from inconsistent bats by key personnel, to far too many defensive miscues. Arguably drawing most of the attention though is the in-game decision-making by manager Dan Wilson, although we suspect at times it’s been too harsh, with him almost being used as a scapegoat by a frustatred fanbase watching their ballclub underachieve.

What we would say though is that as frustrating as it might be, the Mariners have traditionally started slow in recent years, but have always finished strong and are one of just four teams with 85+ wins in each of the past five seasons. The best example of this was in 2022 when the M’s began 21-29, but ended up with 90 wins as they broke their 20-year playoff drought.

At the end of the day, we get it if fans want to be annoyed and more frustrated than ever given the sky-high expectations and predictions surrounding the Mariners during spring training. However, factoring in everything else we’ve mentioned, there’s plenty of reason to keep the faith in the coming months.

Photos court​‌esy of Tim Rogers Photography

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