Jorge Polanco Likely To DH For Another Week Or Two
The Seattle Times' Adam Jude reports that Seattle Mariners infielder Jorge Polanco (side) is likely to serve as the designated hitter for another one to two weeks, according to a source. With Ryan Bliss out for the foreseeable future after tearing his biceps, it has the M's short-handed with infield options at the major-league level. In the short term at second base, Seattle has the left-handed-hitting Miles Mastrobuoni and switch-hitter Leo Rivas as stop-gap options. Mastrobuoni got the start against a right-hander on Wednesday. The light-hitting Rivas has a dependable glove and some speed, which is useful off the bench. Long term, former first-round prospect Cole Young has been regarded as the team's second baseman of the future. However, a promotion isn't imminent. At third base, Dylan Moore is the team's only viable option right now until Polanco is cleared to return to playing defense.
After taking a day off on Tuesday, Seattle Mariners second baseman Jorge Polanco (side) is serving as the designated hitter and is batting second in Wednesday's series finale against the visiting Houston Astros and right-hander Hunter Brown at T-Mobile Park. Polanco has battled side soreness recently and was given the day off to rest on Tuesday, but he's back in there on Wednesday and will be hoping to keep his strong start to the 2025 season going. The 31-year-old Dominican infielder has 10 hits in his first 26 plate appearances of the season over seven games while delivering two home runs, 10 RBI, a stolen base, two runs scored, one walk and three strikeouts. Polanco continues to deal with injuries, though, and fantasy managers should probably expect the oft-injured switch-hitter to eventually land on the injured list. In eight career at-bats against Brown, Polanco is hitting .250 with a .625 OPS.
Seattle Mariners second baseman Jorge Polanco (side), who missed the team's last two games due to soreness in his side, is back in the starting lineup for Monday's series opener against the visiting Houston Astros at T-Mobile Park. Polanco is the designated hitter and will bat second, with Ryan Bliss playing second base and batting eighth against Astros right-hander Hayden Wesneski. Fantasy managers will want to get the 31-year-old Polanco back in their starting lineups to begin the week with the veteran switch-hitter going 9-for-20 with two home runs and eight RBI in his first six games for Seattle in 2025. Polanco also has a homer and two RBI in only three career at-bats against Wesneski. If the Dominican infielder can get through Monday's contest without a setback to his side, he could return to second-base duties as soon as Tuesday.
Seattle Mariners infielder Jorge Polanco (knee) is dealing with soreness in his left knee and will be held out of the starting nine on Sunday afternoon. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status leading up to their next contest on Monday evening against the Houston Astros. Polanco underwent surgery on his knee last October but did not deal with too many issues during camp. However, the team will opt to exercise caution during the early part of the campaign. Instead, Dylan Moore will start at the hot corner, and Ryan Bliss will get the nod at the keystone. Through his first five games of the season, Polanco has enjoyed a strong start, posting a .450/.476/.750 slash line with two home runs and eight RBI. Polanco remains a solid depth infielder in deeper formats, given his strong start to the season.
Seattle Mariners infielder Jorge Polanco (rest) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Saturday's game against the San Francisco Giants. Polanco will head to the bench after a three-hit performance on Friday. In his absence, Dylan Moore will cover the hot corner and bat seventh versus left-hander Robbie Ray. Moore hits better against left-handed pitching, so it makes sense that they'd give him the start over Polanco here. Polanco is hitting 9-for-20 with two homers and eight RBI this season, so he could start gaining more value in fantasy leagues.
The Seattle Mariners reinstated infielder Jorge Polanco from the paternity list on Thursday and also optioned infielder Leo Rivas and left-hander Jhonathan Diaz to Triple-A Tacoma. Polanco will return to the team after missing the last few games and should be back in the starting lineup at second base for Friday's series opener versus the San Francisco Giants and veteran right-hander Justin Verlander. After an injury-plagued 2024 campaign for the veteran 31-year-old, it's been nice to see Polanco get going early in 2025 with six hits in his first 15 at-bats. He's cleared the fences one time and driven in four in 16 plate appearances. Polanco doesn't have great history in his career against Verlander -- he's hit .133 with a .649 OPS in 15 at-bats -- but he does have a solo home run against him.
Seattle Mariners third baseman Jorge Polanco went 3-for-3 with a home run during their 4-2 victory over the Athletics on Opening Day. Polanco tallied his first hit with a single in the second frame off Luis Severino. In the fourth, he would tally his second single of the evening. He would cap off his performance with a two-run shot in the eighth inning off Jose Leclerc. He would score first baseman Luke Raley with this home run. Polanco played through a knee injury last season, which limited him to just 118 contests. This injury could have hindered his performance as he posted a .213/.296/.355 slash line with just 16 home runs and four stolen bases. He generated a modest .226 xBA and a .399 xSLG. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his production this season, as he tallied at least 35 doubles and 20 home runs twice in his career in Minnesota. For now, he is worth adding in deeper formats as a depth infielder.
Jorge Polanco Making Cactus League Debut On Monday
Seattle Mariners second baseman Jorge Polanco (knee) is making his Cactus League debut on Monday against the Cleveland Guardians, serving as the designated hitter and batting third. Polanco was held back early in spring training this year after having surgery to six the patellar tendon in his left knee last October. As long as he doesn't have any setbacks with his surgically-repaired knee once he resumes playing in games in spring training, the 31-year-old veteran infielder should be ready for Opening Day at the end of this month. Polanco has plenty of bounce-back potential in fantasy in 2025, but he's also a pretty big injury risk, having played in 120 games only three times since debuting in the big leagues in 2017. The switch-hitting Dominican did have 33 homers in 2021 and has intriguing power for a second baseman, but his injury history merely makes him a late-round flier in deep-mixed leagues.
Seattle Mariners second baseman Jorge Polanco (knee) took swings off a batting machine in camp on Wednesday. Injuries continued to limit Polanco in 2024, as he dealt with hamstring and knee injuries before needing surgery on the patellar tendon in his left knee last October. When the 31-year-old Dominican was on the field, he struggled to the tune of a .213/.296/.355 slash line with a career-low .651 OPS, 16 home runs, 45 RBI, four steals, 43 runs and a career-high 137 strikeouts in 118 games. He should be ready to roll by Opening Day in late March, but Polanco's inability to avoid lower-body injuries over the years has dramatically lowered his fantasy stock entering the 2025 season. Polanco could rebound and has 14-plus homers in each of his last five full seasons, but he also has reached 120 games only three times in 11 seasons.
Jorge Polanco Re-Signs With Mariners On One-Year Deal
The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reports that free-agent infielder Jorge Polanco (knee) agreed to re-sign with the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night for a one-year, $7.75 million guaranteed deal, pending a physical, according to sources. The Houston Astros had known interest in Polanco, but he'll return to the Mariners after the acquired him from the Minnesota Twins a year ago. His deal includes a $750,000 buyout on a vesting player/mutual option for 2026 based on plate appearances. Rosenthal says the M's plan to use Polanco at third base in 2025. The 31-year-old Dominican infielder battled through a knee injury and struggled to a .213/.296/.355 slash line with 16 homers and 45 RBI in 118 games in Seattle last year. With better health, Polanco could bounce back, but he's also played in 120 games in a season just once in 11 MLB campaigns. Dylan Moore should be the favorite to start at the keystone for Seattle.
Jorge Polanco
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Mariners
