Mariners Notebook: Julio wins Player of the Week; Kelenic sits

The rough start to the 2023 season for Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodríguez? It’s safe to say that’s over.

Rodríguez has been named the American League Player of the Week for May 22-28 after breaking out in a big way last week.

Video: ESPN’s Passan on if Seattle Mariners’ Julio, Kelenic will be All-Stars

Here’s a look at the numbers Rodríguez posted over those seven games:

• .467 average (14 for 30)
• 1.284 OPS
• Two home runs
• Four doubles
• Seven RBIs
• Six runs
• One stolen base

Rodríguez didn’t slow down when the new week started, either. In a 10-4 loss Monday night against the New York Yankees, he went 2 for 4 with a solo home run and three RBIs.

This is already the second time that the 22-year-old Rodríguez has been named AL Player of the Week in his MLB career. He also won the award in July 2022.

For the season, Rodríguez owns a .247/.311/.451 slash line for a .762 OPS in 52 games. He leads the team with nine stolen bases and is tied for the team lead with 10 home runs.

Seattle Mariners lineup note

The M’s will continue their series against the Yankees on Tuesday without one of their best offensive producers so far this season in the starting lineup, as outfielder Jarred Kelenic gets the night off.

Here’s the full Mariners lineup for the 6:40 p.m. game:

Time to bounce back. #SeaUsRise pic.twitter.com/rn07aD4NF7

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) May 30, 2023

It’s worth noting that Kelenic was shaken up a bit after jamming his neck on the wall in left field Monday night trying to catch Yankees slugger Aaron Judge’s second home run of the game. He also has scuffled some in the last week, going 5 for 26 with two doubles, no home runs and 12 strikeouts to three walks over his last seven games. He still owns a .283/.340/.524 slash line for an .863 OPS this season, and his 10 home runs are tied with Rodríguez for the team lead. He’s also second on the M’s with seven stolen bases.

Kelenic will be available for Tuesday’s game off the bench, reports Mariners insider Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports.

Kelenic just getting a little break tonight after crashing into the wall last night. Very much available off the bench if needed.

— Shannon Drayer (@shannondrayer) May 30, 2023

Coverage of the Mariners’ Tuesday night game against the Yankees will be carried on Seattle Sports beginning at 5:30 p.m. with the pregame show. For details on how to stream Seattle Mariners radio coverage online or with a mobile device, click here.

Roster move

Seattle has recalled right-handed pitcher Darren McCaughan from Triple-A Tacoma and optioned fellow righty Juan Then to the Rainiers ahead of Tuesday’s game.

Then, a 23-year-old rookie who is ranked by MLB.com as the No. 23 prospect in the Mariners organization, has made nine appearances this season with Seattle. He has a 4.91 ERA with five stikeouts and two walks over 11 innings. He threw 28 pitches over 2 1/3 innings in Monday’s loss to the Yankees, likely necessitating the addition of a fresh arm to the bullpen in McCaughan.

The 27-year-old McCaughan has appeared in three games with the M’s since 2021, most recently throwing a scoreless inning of relief on April 17 against the Milwaukee Brewers. He has an 8.33 ERA over eight games (all starts) with Tacoma this season.

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