Mariners get the absolute last injury news they needed

The Mariners could be without star Julio Rodriguez for an undisclosed amount of time after he injured his back in Saturday’s game.

Seattle Mariners star Julio Rodriguez was forced to leave Saturday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays due to reported lower back tightness. Should fans be worried?

Not yet, according to manager Scott Servais.

Seattle lost its hard-hitting center fielder in the seventh inning, when Servais opted to replace Rodriguez with AJ Pollock. Rodriguez apparently started feeling back discomfort after sliding into second on a stolen base in the third inning but remained in the game for several innings longer; the Mariners ended up losing 1-0 to Toronto.

After Saturday’s game, Servais remained optimistic about Rodriguez’s outlook and said he thinks the young star will be just “fine.”

Servais told the media:

"“I think he’s gonna be fine. That’s my feeling on it. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow. It’s a quick turnaround with a day game tomorrow. We have an off day the next day. We’ll see if he can go tomorrow. If not, hopefully a couple days down, and he’ll be okay when we go over to Oakland.”"

Mariners star Julio Rodriguez is suffering from lower back tightness

In Sunday’s 10-8 win against the Blue Jays, Rodriguez got an off day, though it’s unclear whether it was because of his back injury or because he just needed a short breather.

What makes Rodriguez’s issue more concerning is the fact that he also suffered from lower back problems at the end of the 2022 season and was placed on a 10-day IL stint. Rodriguez was able to get healthy in time for the playoffs, but it looks like his back discomfort may be cropping up again in 2023.

The 22-year-old star won AL Rookie of the Year last season and set a new Mariners rookie record with 28 homers.

So far this season, Rodriguez has been batting .236 with five homers and 13 RBIs.

The Mariners are off on Monday and will open a series at the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday. If Rodriguez’s injury truly is no big deal, the team should see him back in the lineup then.