The Seattle Mariners’ first official injury update since the trade deadline featured plenty of encouraging news for the club.
There is an odd trend with this year’s Seattle Mariners
Mariners general manager Justin Hollander told reporters Tuesday that outfielder Victor Robles will begin a rehab assignment on Aug. 12 and that right-hander Bryce Miller will make his second rehab start with Triple-A Tacoma on Thursday.
Robles, who has been out since early April after suffering a fractured humeral head and dislocated shoulder, is “way ahead of schedule,” Hollander said. The club expects Robles will need at least 40 to 50 at-bats before major league activation due to the length of absence.
The right fielder took batting practice for the first time since the injury last Wednesday when the Mariners were in West Sacramento, California, playing the Athletics. At the time, Robles said he was feeling about 80%.
Robles taking swings on the field. Watch the progression. Took a little break and put the next ball on top of the clubhouse in left center. pic.twitter.com/JQBCUA8t5Z
— Shannon Drayer (@shannondrayer) July 30, 2025
Hollander said Robles will get a couple of days at designated hitter before building up to nine innings in the outfield during the rehab assignment.
“Really excited to get Vic back out there running around,” Hollander said. “He’s worked his butt off to get to this point and endured a lot.”
Miller, who is on the injured list for the second time this season with elbow inflammation, made his first rehab appearance last Friday. The right-hander allowed only one hit and struck out six while tossing 52 pitches over four shutout innings. His average four-seam fastball velocity was up to 96.4 mph, nearly 2 mph above where it had been previously this season.
“Fantastic first rehab outing,” Hollander said. “I thought it looked the most like Bryce Miller that we’ve seen all year. His feedback to us is that is the best he’s felt all year.”
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Hollander said the plan is for Miller to throw about four to five innings and 65 pitches in his next outing, and that he will very likely make one rehab start afterwards regardless of how Thursday’s outing goes. The club is hoping to see a repeat performance from Miller in his second rehab start.
“It’s not going to be any better than (the first start). I’m confident in that because it was absolutely dynamic,” Hollander said. “But (we’re looking for) more of the same: feeling good, holding the velo, feeling comfortable with his fastball and second stuff, throwing strikes.
“Everything looked awesome the last time. His level of confidence and trust looked to of the scale.”
Here are updates Hollander gave on six other Mariners.
• Outfielder/first baseman Luke Raley is starting a hitting progression Tuesday and could begin a rehab assignment as soon as Saturday. The Mariners anticipate Raley, who was placed on the injured list July 30 with back spasms, will need at least two or three games before returning to the majors.
“He has obviously had a sort of fractured season with missed time a couple different times,” Hollander said. “We’ll see how his timing is and how he goes.”
• Reliever Gregory Santos has been cleared to return after having surgery to address inflammation in his knee. However, the right-hander will need time to build up after taking time off to deal with personal issues in the Dominican Republic. The club expects Santos to return in September.
Santos has pitched just 16 games since he was acquired in a trade before the 2024 season due to lat, biceps and knee issues.
• Second baseman Ryan Bliss is ahead of schedule in recovering from a torn biceps that has sidelined him since early April. It is possible he could begin a rehab assignment in September.
• Reliever Trent Thornton had surgery Saturday to repair the torn Achilles he suffered last Thursday. The right-hander will be out for six to eight months, which means he could miss most or all of spring training in 2026.
• Top outfield prospect Jonny Farmelo will be back in Everett this week to finish a rehab assignment and could be activated by the High-A AquaSox as soon as this weekend. Farmelo, ranked as Seattle’s No. 7 prospect by MLB Pipeline, has been out since May 23 due to a stress reaction in his ribs.
• Pitching prospect Cole Phillips, the Mariners’ No. 18 prospect, underwent flexor tendon surgery after damage was done to his flexor tendon during a bullpen session. Phillips, a 2022 second-round pick acquired from the Braves in a 2023 trade, has yet to pitch in the minors due to two Tommy John surgeries and a stress reaction in his arm, the latter of which is what he was working back from before the new surgery.
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