Two things have always been true about the Seattle Mariners in the past three seasons: The pitching is fantastic and the offense goes as Julio Rodríguez goes.
After a disappointing first half for the 23-year-old phenom, Rodríguez found himself on the injured list in late July with a high ankle sprain. And with Rodríguez struggling to find his form in the batter's box, the Mariners have had a down year on offense as a team.
Though the Mariners at one point held a 10-game lead in the American League West, they are currently deadlocked with the Houston Astros, who have won the division in every full-length season since 2017.
In a tightly contested race, a team needs its superstars healthy and ready to perform. It appears that for Seattle, at least the first piece of that puzzle is falling into place.
Sources told ESPN's Buster Olney that the Mariners expected star center fielder Julio Rodríguez to return to the lineup Sunday night against the New York Mets. Rodríguez will also reportedly serve as the designated hitter, rather than return to his usual role on defense.
Rodríguez was having an abysmal year by his standards, but he showed signs of breaking out just before the injury. His overall season OPS is just .682, but he put up a 1.289 mark with four home runs in the 13 games prior to sustaining the ankle sprain.
It has been a hallmark of Rodríguez's young career to heat up in the second half. He batted a ridiculous .429 in August of 2023, including a record-setting stretch of 17 hits in just four games. Heating up like that again would be a huge boon to Seattle's playoff push.
Seattle is on a three-game winning streak, including the first two games of the series against fellow playoff-hopeful New York. They will send star righty Luis Castillo to the mound on Sunday night to face off against the Mets' Luis Severino.
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