Randy Arozarena's IL Stint Is The ONE Thing Seattle Wasn't Ready For
What a gut punch, 12s. Seriously, just as we thought things were looking up with Cal Raleigh and J.P. Crawford back in the lineup, BAM! Randy Arozarena, our absolute stud, is headed to the 10-day IL with a left hamstring strain. You can practically hear GM Justin Hollander's frustration. He said it himself, "I was hoping today that we would be a full boat. We’re not." Man, no kidding.
The Heart of the Order on Hold
This is a massive blow, man. Arozarena has been on an absolute tear, building a strong campaign for his third career All-Star Game. We're talking a club-best 2.3 fWAR, batting .291 with 18 doubles, seven homers, and 33 RBIs. The guy's been a machine, playing 71 straight starts to open the year! He exited Friday's 10-2 win over the Nationals after legging out a ground ball, missing the next two games. Now, despite initially trending in the right direction, an MRI cast serious doubt. Hollander put it plainly, "We don’t anticipate a stay on the IL longer than the minimum, but we can’t play three people short for any length of time." To fill the void, we called up Curtis Washington Jr. from High-A Everett. Why Everett? Because the AquaSox were home, allowing him to make it to T-Mobile Park by first pitch, unlike Triple-A Tacoma, who was in Salt Lake City. Victor Robles started in left, his first since 2024, and Dominic Canzone was in right for his fifth start this season.
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The Juggling Act Gets Wild
But wait, there’s more bad news. Hollander already mentioned Josh Naylor with right wrist soreness and Luke Raley with back tightness. Then there’s the bullpen. Matt Brash is on the IL for the second time this year with another right lat strain. It’s a different spot, but worse, looking at 3-4 weeks in Arizona before even another MRI. Best guess? He's back around the Trade Deadline. Cooper Criswell's right pec strain "came out of nowhere," and he's on a similar timeline, just like Carlos Vargas, who’s been out since Opening Day and just started a throwing program. Hollander described it perfectly: "Every day feels like a bit of a juggling act." He’s not wrong! It's worse than anything he’s seen since 2018-19 with pitchers. Is there ANY good news? Brendan Donovan, our 29-year-old, is finally starting a 10-14 day running progression this homestand. He’ll do hitting and fielding too, but running is the big hurdle. If that goes well, a rehab assignment could be next. We need it.
So, yeah, the M's just battled through the homestand opener against the Orioles, snagging a 3-1 win. But can they keep that grit going with this roster carousel? With Arozarena out, Naylor questionable, Raley dinged up, and a big chunk of our bullpen sidelined long-term, it's gonna take serious Emerald City heart to navigate the next few weeks. We're holding our breath that Randy's IL stint is just the minimum, and that Donovan's running progression brings him back healthy soon. This team needs to dig deep, M's fans. Stay loud, 12s, we're in this together!
This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.