SEATTLE -- Brendan Donovan's much-anticipated return to the Mariners’ lineup is on the immediate horizon.
Donovan has been given the all-clear by Seattle’s’ medical and athletic training staffs to be activated from the injured list, general manager Justin Hollander said before Friday’s 5-3 loss to the Twins.
However, Donovan is currently with his family; he posted on social media Friday that his wife had given birth to their second child. He probably won’t return until after Monday’s Trade Deadline, per Hollander.
“He feels good and ready to go,” Hollander said. “So once he's free and clear on his family stuff, he will join us, likely on Tuesday.”
Separately, the Mariners on Friday placed veteran infielder J.P. Crawford on the 10-day IL with left wrist inflammation and recalled Leo Rivas from Triple-A Tacoma to take his spot.
The club is also in the process of welcoming back quite a few players with longer-term recoveries to T-Mobile Park during this nine-game homestand, who are expected to hit notable benchmarks with their respective rehabs.
That included Carlos Vargas, who is slated to throw a bullpen on Saturday and is targeting a mid-August return.
As for Donovan, when activated, he will transition into a utility role that could include time in both corner outfield spots as well as second base and third base -- the latter of which he exclusively played over the 25 games he’s been healthy.
This is Donovan’s second stint on the IL with a left groin strain, which he’s repeatedly said has been related to major sports hernia surgery he underwent last October as a member of the Cardinals.
“There will be some days off,” Hollander said. “There'll be some DH days just to build him back up. But he's in a good spot and feels really good about how his body's feeling.”
Donovan played a total of 10 games on his rehab assignment between the rookie-league ACL Mariners, High-A Everett and Tacoma. He closed that stint on a four-game hitting streak, after starting 0-for-21.
“He was underneath a lot of things to start out with, and out front,” Hollander said. “His timing was just off, and really got locked in the last three or four days of the rehab assignment. We didn't need him locked in on Day 1 of the rehab assignment. We were more focused on how he was moving and how he was feeling, and then by the time we got through the rehab, I think we saw him back to himself.”
Seattle could surely use the version of Donovan that earned his first career All-Star nod in 2025. Its offense has scuffled through much of the season, averaging just 4.0 runs per game (third lowest in MLB) with a .688 OPS (fourth lowest).
As for Crawford, he will receive an injection and will be down for three to five days, then could begin ramping up. His timeline to return, per Hollander, is likely a matter of a few weeks.
The veteran has been battling pain in the wrist for much of the past two weeks, at one point missing four straight games before returning last Saturday in Arlington, then sitting on Thursday at Dodger Stadium. For the season, he’s posted a slash line of .212/.330/.345 (.675 OPS) and has primarily played third base since mid-June.
His absence will likely position Donovan to take a chunk of reps at that position in the immediate.
On the bullpen front, Vargas is “doing great,” per Hollander. If his bullpen goes well, the next step is either another ‘pen, a live batting practice or even possibly a rehab assignment. The Mariners are targeting a mid-August return for the high-velocity reliever, who first suffered the injury during a pregame throwing session on Opening Day.
Matt Brash (right lat strain) was slated to throw off a slope on Friday, which would put him on target for a bullpen next Friday. He’s about one week behind Vargas with his timeline. And Cooper Criswell (right shoulder strain) is about one week behind Brash, with a late-August or early-September estimate.
Also, Luke Raley was out of Friday’s lineup against Twins right-hander Zebby Matthews, as he’s been dealing with elbow soreness. Victor Robles got the start in right field.