SEATTLE -- The Mariners announced Friday that another player among their active roster to finish the regular season has since undergone offseason surgery.
Michael Arroyo, their promising hitting prospect who was a September callup, underwent an elbow scope procedure on Wednesday with Dr. Keith Meister to clean up cartilage and brace a chronic injury to his right ulnar collateral ligament.
Per the club’s announcement, Arroyo won’t be ready to return to game action until April.
With that timeline, his Spring Training would be impacted and he’d begin the 2027 season on the injured list. It’s certainly possible that such an IL stint would be at Triple-A Tacoma, given that he’ll need to ramp up whatever is lost in spring and that he’s only played in 15 games in the Majors and 49 games at Tacoma.
This is the third offseason surgery that the Mariners have announced, as Cal Raleigh (left shoulder) and Josh Naylor (right wrist) each underwent procedures on Oct. 3, though both are expected to be ready by Spring Training.
His fit on the club’s Major League roster will be one of the more intriguing storylines heading into next season, given his promising ascent in the Minors and September -- and more so, that left field has suddenly opened up with Randy Arozarena’s departure via free agency.
Arroyo came up as a second baseman but transitioned to left field more regularly in the Minors in 2026. That was to create more positional versatility, but also, because the Mariners have Cole Young -- a Gold Glove Award finalist, who’s coming off an impressive first full season -- as their long-term second baseman.
The presence of Arozarena, their most consistent hitter in 2026, and Young, who played in a team-high 160 games, limited Arroyo to a platoon role and late-game defensive replacement during his cup of coffee. Of the 15 games he played in, only seven were starts.
“Just being versatile and being able to play infield, outfield,” Arroyo said after his callup, through an interpreter. “I think it helped me a little bit with confidence and just being known that I can be kind of put anywhere. [Left field] wasn't unfamiliar for me. Right before, I was playing second base, and I used to play in the outfield, so that just kind of felt comfortable when the switch happened.”
He made the most of the big league opportunity, as Arroyo had a slash line of .371/.439/.514 (.953 OPS) with one homer, two doubles and just six strikeouts, good for a 176 wRC+ (league average is 100) -- albeit in the limited sample size of 41 plate appearances.
Over 114 games in the Minors in 2026, Arroyo slashed .283/.359/.471 (.830 OPS) with 18 homers, five triples, 23 doubles, 81 RBIs and 17 stolen bases between Tacoma and Double-A Arkansas -- where he was promoted from in early July.