The Seattle Mariners completed a sweep of the Los Angeles Angels with a 1-0 victory on Thursday.
However, the win came with a pair of injury scares involving center fielders Julio Rodríguez and, later, his replacement, Victor Robles.
Rodríguez was struck in the back of the helmet by a throw from Nolan Schanuel following a first-inning walk during a double-play attempt. He initially stayed in the game before being replaced by Robles in the top of the third inning.
Then, in the bottom half of the third, Robles was hit on the right wrist by a 97.9 mph sinker from Walbert Ureña. He remained in the game briefly before Weston Wilson replaced him in the top of the fifth, with Luke Raley shifting from right field to center.
Following Thursday's victory, Mariners manager Dan Wilson revealed that Rodríguez was being evaluated for a concussion, while X-rays on Robles came back negative.
“Julio, kind of going through the concussion protocol. We'll take a look and see how he is in the morning and assess a little bit more,” Wilson said. “Then same with Vic. X-rays were negative on Vic, but he was in a lot of pain there on that forearm/wrist area, so we'll assess when we get there in the morning.”
The injuries come just as Raley (left forearm) and Dominic Canzone (right hamstring) returned to the lineup Thursday after missing time earlier in the week.
Nonetheless, the Mariners can ill afford to lose Rodríguez for an extended period of time with the AL West up for grabs. Entering Friday, Seattle is tied with the Texas Rangers atop the division at 45-43.
Rodríguez is slashing .259/.323/.424 with 14 home runs and 40 RBI through 87 games this season. For a lineup riddled with injuries in 2026, the 25-year-old playing in all but one game has been a welcome sight. He leads the Mariners in hits (89) and is tied with Raley for the team lead in home runs (14).
Meanwhile, Robles is slashing .233/.273/.260 with three RBIs and six stolen bases in 32 appearances. While those numbers are lackluster, he remains a valuable depth piece who can play all three outfield positions.
It remains unclear whether Rodríguez or Robles will be available for Friday's series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays or whether each will miss additional time.
If both are unavailable, Seattle will likely turn to an outfield of Randy Arozarena in left, Raley in center, and either Canzone or Wilson in right.
