Julio back in lineup as Mariners add righty bat Wilson, DFA Mastrobuoni

SEATTLE -- In what’s been a brutal two-week stretch on the injury front, the Mariners got the best possible development on their star center fielder on Friday.

Julio Rodríguez was back in Seattle’s starting lineup for its three-game series opener vs. Boston, batting third and returning to the premium position -- two days after exiting with a left hamstring spasm sustained on a leaping catch in the left-center gap.

Rodríguez was out for all of Thursday’s 3-0 win over the Orioles -- his first missed game of the season -- but went through agility work with the Mariners’ athletic training staff then hit in the batting cage.

“I think getting yesterday [off] was helpful,” manager Dan Wilson said, “and getting here today, I think he felt pretty good about where he's at. And so a chance to get back in there. He felt pretty good today, so obviously, excited to get Julio back.”

Rodríguez, in particular, could be a huge boon this weekend against the Red Sox, who will roll out a left-handed starting pitcher for each of these three games -- Ranger Suárez, Connelly Early and Payton Tolle, in order.

Rodríguez leads the team, by far, with a .930 OPS vs. southpaws this season, but he’s been an outlier. Collectively, the Mariners’ .636 OPS vs. lefties is the sport’s lowest -- which was partly why they made an intriguing roster move on Friday.

The club selected infielder/outfielder Weston Wilson from Triple-A Tacoma, who signed a Minor League contract with Seattle on Sunday, and was immediately in the starting lineup, batting ninth and playing third base. Wilson was designated for assignment by the Orioles on June 6, then after clearing outright waivers, elected free agency in lieu of accepting an outright to Triple-A Norfolk.

In a corresponding move to add Wilson to the active and 40-man rosters, Miles Mastrobuoni -- who wore many multi-positional hats within the Mariners’ lineup, albeit for just a short stint in 2026 -- was DFA’d.

“Always difficult to lose a player who's part of the family, as we talk about,” Wilson said. “And what 'Stro did here, particularly here in the last week, was outstanding and filled a lot of holes and played in a lot of different spots for us. We were pretty banged up, and just can't thank him enough for his effort here.”

Essentially, this boiled down to handedness -- and for beyond this weekend -- as Mastrobuoni hits lefty and Wilson hits righty. Both play all over, as Wilson has experience everywhere but shortstop and catcher.

In the context of their struggles against southpaws, and before the Mastrobuoni transaction, seven of Seattle’s 13 position players on its active roster hit left-handed. That included their entire infield, sans infielder/outfielder Connor Joe, who on Wednesday took the roster spot of Randy Arozarena, one day after the slugger was placed on the IL.

“I don't know if it's just this weekend; I think it's just in general,” Wilson said. “We are pretty left-handed-dominant, and so getting some variability in terms of versatility, in terms of where Weston can play, and then having that right-handed bat will help as well.”

Wilson, 31, played in two games at Tacoma after playing in 21 games with the Orioles, over which he slashed .231/.348/.333 (.681 OPS) with one homer, one double, three RBIs, two stolen bases, 11 strikeouts and six walks in 46 plate appearances.

Against lefties, he has a career slash line of .248/.351/.456 (.807 OPS) in 174 plate appearances, good for 124 wRC+ (league average is 100). Overall, Wilson has played in four big league seasons, mostly with the Phillies (2023-25).

Of note, he’s out of Minor League options -- meaning he’d need to be DFA’d to be removed from the active roster. From there, to remain in the organization, he’d need clear waivers and accept an outright to Tacoma.

Mastrobuoni is also out of options, meaning he’d need to meet that same criteria to remain in the organization. Given his skillset, it’s possible there’d be interested teams in claiming him off waivers. It’s also possible that the Mariners attempt to trade him, as they have seven days to do so following the DFA.

Mastrobuoni’s season is only just getting going, as he began the year on the IL with a right calf strain sustained during the World Baseball Classic then was activated for the first time last week in Baltimore. He’s played in eight games and at four positions, going 5-for-23.