Mariners OF Robles to IL with dislocated shoulder

Seattle Mariners' Victor Robles holds his wrist after injuring himself making a catch in 9th inning of San Francisco Giants' 5-4 win in MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sunday, April 6, 2025. (Scott Strazzante / San Francisco Chronicle / Getty Images)

SEATTLE - The Seattle Mariners placed outfielder Victor Robles on the injured list on Monday with a dislocated left shoulder as they await the results of an MRI following his violent collision with a catch net in San Francisco on Sunday.

"I don’t want to speculate on anything. He will have imaging today and we will go from there," general manager Justin Hollander said.

"He made one of the best, all-out, had no regard for his body catches I’ve ever seen. And I hope that it’s not the worst-case scenario, and I hope it’s on the shorter end than the longer end, but I honestly have no idea right now, and nobody does until we get a look at the images."

The backstory:

In what will be a catch of the year candidate in MLB, Robles made a stunning catch for an out on a Patrick Bailey fly ball down the right field line. Robles made a diving grab as he sailed over the short wall flanking foul territory and slammed into the protective net. While the net did its job of keeping Robles from colliding with the secondary wall, it wrenched his left arm backward significantly and rebounded him back onto the field of play.

Robles still had the composure to underhand the ball with his right hand back toward the infield before grabbing his dangling arm in agony.

Robles tried to walk back to the dugout but ultimately needed assistance from a cart to leave the field. He flew with the team back to Seattle last night and had an MRI scheduled for Monday afternoon.

"He seems to be in good spirits. Obviously sore, but, you know, in good spirits," manager Dan Wilson said. What he brings to our clubhouse is a lot of life, and so really good to see him in there today."

The Mariners called up outfielder Dominic Canzone from Triple-A Tacoma with Robles going on the injured list. Canzone hit two home runs in Sunday's 13-8 loss to the Reno Aces and has a .276 average and an .861 OPS in eight games for Tacoma.

Julio Rodríguez will bat in the lead-off spot in place of Robles in Monday's game against the Houston Astros. Rodríguez is a career .295 hitter while batting in the lead-off spot in 515 plate appearances.

"I think he really feels good at the plate and is driving the ball both to right field and to left field," Wilson said. "And, you know, that's really good to see. It's a great sign as we start moving forward and just keep him rolling."

Jorge Polanco back in lineup:

The Mariners held out infielder Jorge Polanco for the last two days with tenderness in his side.

Manager Dan Wilson had said it was knee soreness, but Hollander clarified on Monday that Polanco felt a tweak during an at-bat against the Giants on Friday.

"He was scheduled for a down day anyway (Saturday) and felt some additional soreness in his upper body," Hollander said. "So rather than risk any upper body issues, Dan elected to give him an extra day (Sunday)."

Polanco is batting second, behind Rodríguez, and is the designated hitter. Dylan Moore will play the field at third base in Polanco's place.

George Kirby making progress:

Starting pitcher George Kirby continues to be on track in his recovery from right shoulder inflammation that shut him down during spring training.

Kirby will have two bullpen sessions this week at the team's spring training complex in Peoria, Ariz. as he builds up his pitching stamina.

"Late April seems optimistic to me, just given where we are on the calendar, but that’s George," Hollander said. "The benchmarks that we were looking for him to hit was to feel good after his throwing sessions and his ‘pen sessions, and it feels great right now. We’ll see how the two (bullpens) go this week and then start moving into game situations. I don’t think it’ll be like a full spring training ramp-up, because he was already kind of built to that point over the winter and in their early part of the spring. But he does need a real game progression. It’s not going to be throw two innings then come to the big leagues.

"So we will be responsible and make sure we’re checking all the boxes, but he does feel great so far, and we’re really encouraged."

Emerson Hancock and Luis F. Castillo have made starts in place of Kirby in the rotation over the first 10 games of the season. Neither pitcher made it beyond the third inning, with Hancock managing just ⅔ of an inning against the Detroit Tigers last week.

– Notes

– Right-handed pitcher Matt Brash threw a bullpen session with the team in San Francisco this weekend and will throw a live batting practice at T-Mobile Park on Tuesday. If all goes well, Brash will be sent out for a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma. Brash missed all of last season after having Tommy John surgery.

– Right-handed pitcher Troy Taylor is also progressing as he recovers from a right lat strain. Taylor made two rehab appearances for the Rainiers, pitching 1 ⅔ innings with two runs allowed on five hits with a home run and two strikeouts. He will make another appearance in the coming days for Tacoma.

"We’ll reassess at that point whether he needs more rehab outings or whether he’s ready to go for activation," Hollander said.

The Source: Injury updates were relayed by Mariners general manager Justin Hollander.