Donovan begins rehab assignment in Arizona
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Brendan Donovan is officially on the comeback trail -- again -- for the Mariners.
The infielder began a rehab assignment on Wednesday with the team’s Arizona Complex League affiliate, going 0-for-3 with three strikeouts and a walk as the designated hitter. Donovan has been on the injured list for nearly two months due to a left groin muscle strain, an ailment that has sidetracked his first year in Seattle multiple times.
After he was the centerpiece of a three-team trade this past February, the 29-year-old has been limited to just 25 games with his new club. He was placed on the injured list with a left groin muscle strain on April 20 and missed about three weeks before returning to action. However, just 10 days after he was activated, Donovan was put on the shelf again with the same diagnosis.
The 2025 All-Star has been productive when on the field, highlighted by a .274/.386/.452 slash line with eight extra-base hits across 101 plate appearances. As he has prepared for this latest rehab assignment, he’s been getting some help during recent workouts from Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki.
The Mariners entered the All-Star break with a 48-49 record, putting them 1 1/2 games behind the first-place Rangers in the AL West and in a tie for the third AL Wild Card spot. They dropped five of their final six games of the first half.
Seattle will gladly welcome Donovan’s left-handed bat back into its lineup once he’s ready. Since he landed on the IL on May 16, the Mariners rank third worst in the Majors in on-base percentage (.300) and OPS (.677).