The Mariners announced that they have designated the infielder’s contract Will Wilson. He will take the active roster spot of an infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovanplaced on the 10-day disabled list with a left groin strain, resuming until April 18. Opening 40-man spot, infielder/outfielder Miles Mastrobuoni was transferred to the 60-day disabled list.
Donovan was ruled out of Friday’s game with a strained left hip. He didn’t play on Saturday or Sunday. He previously dealt with a right groin problem at the start of the season. According to Daniel Kramer of MLB.com, Donovan believes his previous hip discomfort may have been related to sports hernia surgery he underwent in October.
That surgery didn’t stop Donovan from becoming one of the hottest trade chips of the winter. Several clubs were interested and Seattle eventually acquired him in a three-way trade that saw them ship the midfielder. Ben Williamsonhopes Jurrangelo Cijntje again That’s Peteand competitive balance around choice B.
Donovan was a great fit for the Mariners’ lineup because of his versatile defense. Coming into this year, it wasn’t clear what would happen at second or third base, with Cole Young again Colt Emerson possible solutions to those positions. Young has taken over in second place and has been playing well so far. Emerson, despite signing a long contract, was still young. That left Donovan batting third and he has a solid .304/.437/.518 slash line when he gets on the field.
It’s unclear how long the Mariners expect Donovan to be out, but they’ll have to go more than a week without him, at least. They could have called Emerson but decided not to, at least not yet. He’s playing well in Tacoma but he’s only 20 years old and only has 24 games in Triple-A under his belt, so it looks like they decided to keep him there.
Leo Rivas took the last two games starting at third base with Donovan out. He has a tough .143/.295/.184 line on the year but a better .217/.348/.278 career slash. A switch-hitter, he was even better against righties, with a .221/.372/.305 line in that split compared to a .210/.304/.235 line against lefties.
Wilson, 27, is a right-handed bat but hasn’t had a solid split throughout his career. In his minor league games, he’s been better against the righties, so he’s not a perfect matchup for Rivas. He could be a regular striker off the bench. He has a lot of minor league experience in the three infield positions in left field of first base, as well as some limited outfield experience.
His major league streak is still young. He appeared in 31 games with the Guardians last year and hit .192/.267/.244. His minor league career at the top level hasn’t been much better, though his Triple-A line of .250/.333/.430 since the start of 2025 isn’t bad. He has options and could be sent back down to Tacoma and Donovan and/or Patrick Wisdom get out of IL.
More to come.
