12 week prognosis for Victor Robles on the mend from shoulder fracture, Cody Bolton traded for cash

A hopeful timeframe and some potential solutions.

An update from the Seattle Mariners on the injury to outfielder Victor Robles shed some hopeful light on the Dominican’s recovery timetable. The club identified a “small fracture in the humeral head” of his left (non-throwing) shoulder, a fracture that is expected to heal naturally with rest and care over around six weeks. Following that timeframe, Robles would be able to resume normal activities once fully healed, affording approximately an equal amount of time towards rehabilitation of the injured arm and re-integration into baseball activities. All told, a 12 week absence would be best case for Robles to return to the field, leaving the M’s without their starting right fielder until around the start of July.

If surgery is required, it will likely cost Robles the rest of the season, as the timetable will double if not more, leaving both him and the Mariners with naught to do but wait and hope his healing goes smoothly. In the interim, Luke Raley will likely continue to get continued play in the outfield, as will Dominic Canzone. They’ll be left with a conundrum against LHP, however, as Jorge Polanco’s offensive performance thus far has been vintage, but his health and glovework increasingly leave him as a 1B/DH possibility more than an infielder. Dylan Moore and Ryan Bliss are looking increasingly like everyday players, whether the M’s wish it or not, leaving Raley liable to have to take on lefties more than he’s ever done before.

There are veterans available in free agency and Triple-A clubs across the league, including current FAs (for MLB purposes) Whit Merrifield, Nick Senzel, and David Peralta. OF Adam Duvall has long mashed LHPs, but reportedly wanted $3 million to be convinced not to retire, which seems unlikely from Seattle. Another route would be JD Martinez, long flirted with by Jerry Dipoto, and still an able hitter in 2024, but a decade ago Martinez graded out as a dismal defender in the outfield and he’s DH’d exclusively for years. The Royals might part with Mark Canha, whom they’ve used sparingly this season, while the White Sox could be comfortable shipping out Austin Slater, if Seattle’s keen to prioritize big league reps this season already. In the minors, lefty-mashing veterans include Dylan Carlson with the Orioles, Connor Joe with the Padres, Daz Cameron (newly) with the Brewers, and eternal minor leaguer (including 2023 with Seattle) Riley Unroe.

Also on the day, the Mariners traded RHP Cody Bolton to the Cleveland Guardians for cash considerations. DFA’d when Seattle selected RHP Jessie Hahn over the weekend, Bolton hasn’t translated his quality minors reps into big league consistency, but has the chance to catch on with a Cleveland pitching staff that’s struggled in the early going.