Mariners’ Brendan Donovan details core injuries he’s working through

It’s been hard to get a handle on what the injury that has hindered All-Star Brendan Donovan early on in his first season with the Seattle Mariners exactly is.

In early April, Donovan missed some time with what was called a right groin issue. In mid-April, it was a hip problem that initially took him out of action. And when he was finally placed on the 10-day injured list shortly after, it was officially deemed a left groin strain.

Donovan spoke to the media prior to his Mariners return Friday in Chicago and provided some details on what he’s been dealing with, saying it’s all connected following sports hernia surgery he underwent early in the offseason.

There was also one play in particular that complicated things.

“Obviously I had the surgery and then I smacked the wall early in the year and kinda jammed the hip,” Donovan said.

The play Donovan referred to was a sliding catch he made in foul ground at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park on March 28, which was the Mariners’ third game of the year, to retire Cleveland star José Ramírez. As you can see in the video below, the end result for Donovan was awkward, especially considering the surgery he was coming off of just five months prior.

Donovan mentioned his hips multiple times during the media session despite his most recent injury being a groin strain, and later explained how it’s really all part of the same problem.

“I’m still learning a lot about recovery. Things that I can do to keep my hips healthy after my surgery,” Donovan said. “… It was all kind of connected. It’s hard to put your finger on one thing. It’s probably a combination of a lot of things, but it was like jam the hip and then there was like a groin strain, the muscle in there that is around the adductor.”

While Donovan has played well for the Mariners, whether it’s his impressive .304/.437/.518 slash line for a .954 OPS at the plate or his improving defense at third base, he shared that it’s a longer road to feeling 100% after sports hernia surgery than people might think.

“I’ve heard anywhere from like eight months to a year is when you’re like, alright, we’re good,” Donovan said. “They say that you can return to play in six to 10 weeks, and I was able to do that, but they said you could have some hiccups for a year. It’s just invasive, right? I mean, everything around your pelvis, they’re cutting through muscles. You could have some nerves, some scar tissue, all those things.

“I think ultimately I needed it. I mean, if you start pulling things off your pelvis, you kind of have to get all cinched back down, but they’re all just all kind of learning how to work together again.”

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