The Mariners have not bounced back from 6 big injuries

There are plenty of things to point to as reasons for the Seattle Mariners’ disappointing 2026 season, but one that may be overlooked is how their injuries may have made things go sideways on them.

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That’s not to say that the Mariners are the only team that dealt with injuries this season.

The Toronto Blue Jays, who just swept Seattle in three games over the weekend, have had perhaps even more injury woes and yet enter Tuesday with a 68-70 record, only 1 1/2 games out of a playoff spot and four games in front of the 64-74 Mariners in the postseason race.

The same goes for the Texas Rangers, who are ahead of the M’s in both the wild card and division standings at 68-70, and to a lesser extent the Houston Astros, who lead the AL West at 70-68.

What it is to say is that, for whatever reason, the Mariners have not been able to stem the tide amid their injuries this season. There have been six injuries in particular that have clearly impacted the M’s negatively in 2026, with either the players struggling with their performance upon returning to the team, or the Mariners being unable to find an answer in their prolonged absences to keep the train moving in the right direction.

Before and after

Let’s start with the most obvious, which is catcher Cal Raleigh. Though he has turned things around in recent games and is even the reigning American League Player of the Week, he has still followed his historic 2025 campaign with one where he’s had to fight to get his WAR to a positive total.

Here are Raleigh’s numbers from before he first missed time with a oblique injury in May, and after his return from the IL in mid-June:

• Raleigh pre-injury (33 games, 147 plate appearances)

.186/.272/.380 slash line, .652 OPS, seven home runs, four doubles, 16 walks, 43 strikeouts, 10.9% walk rate, 29.3% strikeout rate

• Raleigh post-injury (71 games, 285 PA)

.163/.295/.347 slash, .642 OPS, 13 home runs, five doubles, 42 walks, 93 strikeouts, 14.7% walk rate, 32.6% strikeout rate

Raleigh’s injury hit just as he was starting to warm up after a very slow start, so who knows where his stats would be without the oblique issue. As for after coming back, though he has walked at a higher clip, his strikeout rate since the injury is almost 6 whole points more than it was last year (26.7%). And the fact that he has just one more double in over twice the games since his return is indicative of his overall performance with the bat.

Next, center fielder Julio Rodríguez and shortstop J.P. Crawford have also had trouble at the plate since returning from injuries.

Rodríguez has slid in 40 games since he suffered a concussion when he was hit by a ball thrown by Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel on July 2. Here’s how his numbers look:

• Rodríguez pre-injury (87 games, 378 PA)

.259/.323/.424 slash, .747 OPS, 14 home runs, 15 doubles, 29 walks, 79 strikeouts, 7.7% walk rate, 20.9% strikeout rate

• Rodríguez post-injury (40 games, 173 PA)

.210/.266/.350 slash, .616 OPS, six home runs, four doubles, 12 walks, 46 strikeouts, 6.9% walk rate, 26.7% strikeout rate

As for Crawford, he showed more pop than ever early in the season, but that is a distant memory now as he has been a completely different hitter since taking a fastball from Detroit’s Framber Valdez off of his hand June 5.

• Crawford pre-injury (55 games, 233 PA)

.228/.356/.409 slash, .766 OPS, 10 home runs, five doubles, 34 walks, 44 strikeouts, 14.6% walk rate, 18.9% strikeout rate

• Crawford post-injury (38 games, 152 PA)

.182/.283/.227 slash, .510 OPS, no home runs, six doubles, 18 walks, 38 strikeouts, 11.8% walk rate, 25% strikeout rate

Not helping matters has been the general absence of third baseman Brendan Donovan, who has been a solid table setter when healthy, slashing ..277/.371/.409 for an .780 OPS in his first season with the Mariners. The problem is he’s played only 39 games, missing 102 (so far) with core issues and now a concussion IL stint that interrupted a four-game tear where he was 7 for 15 (.467) with two doubles and three walks.

Finally, the bullpen has perhaps been the hit the hardest of any part of Seattle’s roster this year, specifically related to two injuries that happened at about the same time. Both Matt Brash and Cooper Criswell were enjoying strong seasons until June 8, when Brash had a lat issue pop back up and Criswell pitched his last game before nearly three months out with a shoulder strain.

Through June 7, the Mariners’ bullpen ranked second in MLB with a 3.15 ERA and 0.67 home runs allowed per nine innings. In the time since, the Mariners rank 29th in baseball with a 5.68 ERA and 27th with 1.42 home runs allowed per nine innings. Seattle’s relievers have been much more hittable since the Brash and Criswell injuries, with their opponent average going from .245 through June 7 to .262 in the games since, and their WHIP going from 1.31 to 1.44.

It all adds up

Have any of these injuries hurt more than the others? The one that jumps out the most on the Mariners’ schedule is Rodríguez’s concussion. Though Seattle won four of its next five games, it lost momentum by going 1-5 on its final road trip before the All-Star break. The Mariners were 47-44 on July 5, but have gone just 17-30 in the nearly two months since.

While you could say Rodríguez’s injury was the turning point, it may be more of a last straw breaking the camel’s back situation. Of these six big injuries, Rodríguez’s was the last to occur.

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