The Seattle Mariners offense has resurrected following the acquisitions of former All-Stars Randy Arozarena and Justin Turner. Nonetheless, the club is still without arguably its most crucial piece of their batting order -- center fielder Julio Rodriguez.
Rodriguez has been out since being removed from the lineup against the Houston Astros on July 21 because of a high ankle sprain. Since then, the 23-year-old has been placed on the 10-day injured list, though updates regarding his return have been vague.
However, Mariners general manager Justin Hollander shared some insight on Rodriguez's recovery process on Saturday. And by the sound of it, the slugger is making progress, yet the former didn't provide a clear timetable regarding the latter.
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Julio Rodriguez takes a step further in ankle injury recovery, but there's still no firm return timetable
Per Hollander, Rodriguez has begun "linear running" and is recovering at "a high rate of speed." Despite this, the Seattle exec couldn't pinpoint when the star outfielder will rejoin the team.
"Julio [Rodriguez] is generally a fast healer and is younger, faster and stronger than almost anyone in the world," Hollander stated. "So, he is pushing it as much as he can. I know he wants to get back here."
The nature of Rodriguez's injury makes it difficult to predict how much longer he will remain sidelined. Considering his position as an organizational centerpiece, it's understandable that Seattle is taking a cautious approach with him.
Upon Rodriguez's return, he'll join a revamped Mariners squad from the plate. Yes, it's a small sample size, but Seattle's scoring production has more than doubled with Arozarena and Turner in the picture.
Seattle will need Rodriguez down the stretch to separate themselves from the Houston Astros in the race for the American League West. Sitting at 59-53, the Mariners hold a one-game lead over their divisional foes.
Across 413 plate appearances this season, Rodriguez is batting .263/.315/.372 with 11 home runs, 37 RBIs and 18 stolen bases.