SEATTLE -- Although he preferred not to “get too in-depth” about the visible discomfort he was playing with throughout the 2026 season, there was more detail to Josh Naylor's limitations that surfaced this week.
The Mariners’ first baseman underwent a medical procedure on his right wrist last Saturday -- specifically, triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) repair surgery -- that the club announced two days later.
Naylor was regularly seen wincing and/or shaking out his wrist after swings for much of the summer, dating as far back as June, if not earlier. He also played through notable shoulder discomfort during last year’s postseason, but it was unclear how much -- if at all -- that lingered in 2026, given his preference not to divulge injury details.
All said, Naylor wound up playing in 152 games this season and was never placed on the injured list. But he also experienced a significant dropoff in production from both his career norms and the thrilling, three-month first impression after being acquired from the D-backs at the 2025 Trade Deadline.
“I don't really like using that as an excuse because I love to play baseball, whether I'm hurt or not,” Naylor said in an end-of-season interview, before surgery. “I love to play for my teammates, to play for my kids, play for my family, the fans. So yeah, I don't really like to use that as an excuse -- because if you’re not willing to play through pain, then this is the wrong job, I guess.”
On a competitive note, Naylor also absorbed his share of Seattle’s shortcomings -- as a player who was supposed to be a primary run producer, but whose struggles played a big part in the club not actualizing its potential.
“I’ll take full blame for it,” Naylor said. “I didn’t do my part. That’s all I can really say. I didn’t do enough. I feel bad for the players, the staff. So I’ll take responsibility for it.”
Naylor was worth 0.6 wins above replacement, per FanGraphs, which ranked 23rd among 26 qualified first basemen, and was way down from the 3.2 he posted in 2025. He was also worth 95 wRC+ (league average is 100), which was tied for 22nd among that same group and down from 128 the year prior.
These numbers paint the broader picture. But where Naylor experienced his most glaring dip -- and where the Mariners needed him most -- was via power.
His 112-point dip in slugging percentage (to a career-low .350) was the sport’s eighth-largest among 177 qualified hitters, and he only finished with a career-low 10 homers -- including just two after June 12 and zero after Aug. 8. That correlated to just 57 RBIs, almost half of his 108-RBI mark during his lone All-Star season in 2024 with Cleveland.
Even if the wrist played a part, he also saw a dip in clutch moments -- posting a .616 OPS with runners in scoring position, compared to an .828 OPS in such situations over his first seven seasons. He did, however, finish with 30 stolen bases, becoming the first first baseman since George Sisler (1920-22) with at least that many in consecutive seasons.
“I just didn't hit as well as I normally hit,” Naylor said. “I think that's just a part of the game, part of certain years. Some years are awesome, some years aren't, and that's just the name of the game. I mean, I didn't think I did as well as I could have, and it sucks.
“I've got to wear that, sit with that for the offseason. And it's time to grow, time to reevaluate, go back to the drawing board, think about what I did right, what I did wrong. How can I fix it? And just try to evolve my game like I try to do every offseason.”
He was also asked about the theme that emerged as the club’s most defining during its late-summer spin -- accountability -- and if it was an attribute that the clubhouse was lacking.
“I think we can grow in every aspect, whether it's accountability, or again, the gameplay itself,” Naylor said. “I always think you can grow in every single aspect. There's no right or wrong answer, I guess. In that sense, you can grow as a whole every single day.”
Naylor has four years remaining on the richest free-agent deal given to a position player under president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto, meaning he’s a big part of their plans. And much of that will hinge on a notable bounceback in 2027.