The latest on when Julio could return to Mariners

SEATTLE –  The Seattle Mariners are hopeful that Julio Rodríguez will return from his stint on the injured list with a concussion on Saturday.

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Rodríguez was not activated from IL on Friday when the Mariners returned from the All-Star break to start a three-game home series against the San Francisco Giants. However, the center fielder went through pregame drills with the team and was set to take swings off the Trajekt machine in prep for his eventual return.

“If that goes well, we’ll see where he’s at tomorrow in terms of ready for activation or (if he) needs more time. There’s not been a setback or anything,” Mariners general manger Justin Hollander said. “We need to check every box before he gets out here and plays in a major league game. It’s been a couple of weeks, he hasn’t done a lot of the things that you need to do in terms of full pregame, full activation, that sort of stuff. So, we’ll see where he is after today.

“I would be hopeful that he’ll be ready to go tomorrow, but I don’t know that, and we’ll just see how he feels after the full pregame today.”

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Rodríguez has been out with a concussion since taking a throw off the back of his helmet while running the bases against the Los Angeles Angels on July 2. Hollander said he started to turn a corner on Monday or Tuesday.

“Super encouraged. Obviously, you don’t want to mess around with head injuries, and they all sort of come in different forms and feel differently for different guys over a period of time,” Hollander said. “I do think it’s been a noticeable trend up for Julio over the course of the week and I’m hopeful that he’ll feel great today and be ready to go tomorrow.”

Victor Robles is getting the start in center field in Rodríguez’s place, batting eighth Friday night. Below is a look at the rest of Seattle’s lineup against right-hander Landen Roupp.

Back home to kick off the second half 🏡 pic.twitter.com/V3Xe1vaseO

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) July 17, 2026

First pitch of Friday’s game between the Mariners and Giants is set for 7:10 p.m. Radio coverage begins on Seattle Sports 710 AM and the Seattle Sports app with the pregame show at 6 p.m.

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