Earlier this week, the Mariners placed Brendan Donovan on the 10-Day Injured List with a left groin muscle strain. This was the same injury that kept him out of the line-up last week as well. A lot of times, when a player hits the 10-day IL, they are out for a month or even more. According to manager Dan Wilson, it seems like this will be close to a true 10-day stint. Seattle moved Miles Mastrobuoni to the 60-day IL to make room for Will Wilson from Triple-A Tacoma, who they called up to fill in for Donovan.
Who Is This Replacement
While Donovan is on the IL, Wilson, along with Leo Rivas, is expected to fill in at third base in his absence. Wilson is a former first-round pick back in 2019 by the Los Angeles Angels. Last season with the Cleveland Guardians, he was 15/78 batting .192, playing both second and third base. Rivas, on the other hand, will probably take most games at third due to his Major League experience. His switch-hitting ability also benefits the lineup. So far this season, he has struggled at the plate, batting .143 with a .475 OPS. Both guys have the ability to fill the void defensively, but it will be interesting to see just how much the offense will be affected by losing Donovan. These are not so much a solution to his absence but more of a band-aid.
How This Loss Affects the Team
No doubt losing your best hitter on the team can impact the offense. Donovan led the team in average, OBP, and OPS, and had the fewest strikeouts among everyday players. Losing him right now when the team is struggling can do two things. It can lead to other players stepping up and the team getting hot, or it can lead to continuous struggles offensively and more losses. The only good thing about this injury is that it is likely short, and they won’t need to be without him for very long. There is no doubt that this team can win and step up without him, but this loss definitely does not help.
What if It Is Longer
If this injury stint isn’t as clean cut and short as the team thinks, then there might need to be some roster moves. Rivas is the predicted choice to fill that void, but if he continues to struggle at the plate, then they could experiment with different third basemen. Since Wilson got called up, you can expect him to be another option for a longer-term solution. Colt Emerson can also be a solution; he continues to get better every day in Tacoma, but the Mariners have made it clear that he will not debut until he is fully ready. They are very unlikely to use him just to fill a roster spot for an injured player. When they bring him up, they expect him to stay long-term. You have other options in Tacoma as well, but the two likely choices are Rivas and Wilson.
Main Photo Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images
