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There was some good news for Seattle Mariners fans as star Julio Rodriguez has appeared to miss a serious injury that could have jeopardized his season. However, the injury came at the worst possible time for the club as J-Rod seemed to be strong at the plate in recent games as the club tries to compete for the AL West.
The injury occurred when the outfielder barged into the wall in an attempt to catch a flyball on Sunday against the Houston Astros. Stationed at center field, Rodriguez tracked back a Yordan Alvarez hit to the warning track. As he tried to grab the ball he slammed into the fence, dropping the ball and seemingly hurting himself badly as he sat on the ground holding his leg.
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He was subsequently kept out of the squad for the next clash against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday. His situation is being considered day-to-day at the moment. Manager Scott Servais said that initial reports indicated he had avoided any serious injury:
“Early indications are — we’ll keep our fingers crossed — that we escaped what could have been a really bad injury,” Servais said ahead of the Angels game.
Julio Rodriguez key to Mariners' playoff chances
Rodriguez has often been considered the face of the Mariners organization for the last two years. After winning the 2022 AL Rookie of the Year, Seattle locked him to a 14-year contract that was worth up to a whopping $400 million.
However, J-Rod had a tough start to the season. After a slow April-May, Rodriguez's form plummeted further in June when he batted just .206. But all that is since forgotten as he has been almost unstoppable in July, batting at .375 with an OPS of 1.112.
The Mariners (53-48) are currently second behind the Astros in the division. Because of their win on Sunday, they were able to avoid a crushing sweep at the hands of their rivals. Julio Rodriguez has been a key figure in propelling the club to playoff discussions in the past two seasons and fans will hope he can help push the team forward in the coming days and weeks.
