Mariners' Julio Rodriguez: Logs 12th steal Saturday
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Rodriguez went 1-for-4 with an RBI fielder's choice, a stolen base and a run in a loss to the Rangers on Saturday.
Rodriguez hit safely for the 11th time in the last 12 games while also recording a steal for the third straight contest. The talented 22-year-old does seem to be well on his way to completely turning around a lackluster start to the season, but his .306 on-base percentage -- 39 points lower than his rookie season figure -- has plenty of room for improvement.
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Mariners' Julio Rodriguez: Another steal in loss
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Rodriguez went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in a loss to the Rangers on Friday.
Rodriguez's single and 11th steal of the season were rare blips on the offensive radar for a Mariners squad flummoxed by Jon Gray and two relievers Friday. The talented outfielder has hit safely in 10 of his last 11 games, a span in which his 19-for-47 showing at the plate has pulled his average and OPS up by 42 and 89 points, respectively.
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Mariners' Julio Rodriguez: Nabs stolen base Wednesday
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Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with a stolen base in Wednesday's win over the Yankees.
Rodriguez was the only player to record multiple hits Wednesday as the two clubs managed to combine for just eight hits. The 22-year-old led off the fourth with a base hit and later stole second in the inning for his 10th swipe of the season. He has been scorching hot at the plate over his last 10 games, registering multiple hits eight times while slashing .419/.432/.721 with three homers, 10 RBI and seven runs scored. He seems to be more comfortable at the plate after being moved out of the leadoff spot given that he has raised his batting average 42 points over the aforementioned 10-game span. For the year, Rodriguez is now slashing .246/.307/.442 with 10 homers, 31 RBI, 36 runs and a 17:67 BB:K over 244 plate appearances.
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Mariners' Julio Rodriguez: Smacks 10th homer
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Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with a two-run single and a solo home run in Monday's loss to the Yankees.
Rodriguez has now left the yard in three of his last four games, including two straight. The star outfielder is also on an eight-game hit streak, with multiple hits in seven of those contests.
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Mariners' Julio Rodriguez: Belts ninth homer Sunday
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Rodriguez went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in an extra-inning win over the Pirates on Sunday.
Rodriguez's 356-foot shot to left in the first inning opened the scoring, and his subsequent single extended his streak of two-hit games to five. While Rodriguez's elevated 27.3 percent strikeout rate still represents a notable bump from his rookie-season 25.9 percent figure, the 22-year-old is in the midst of a late-month tear that's seen him hit .467 (14-for-30) with six extra-base hits, seven RBI and a more modest 19.4 percent strikeout rate in his last seven games.
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Mariners' Julio Rodriguez: Productive day in win
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Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with an RBI double, a stolen base and a run in a loss to the Pirates on Saturday.
Rodriguez drove home J.P. Crawford with a two-bagger in the second inning for his sixth RBI in the last six games, a span during which he's hit a blistering .480 across 26 plate appearances. The two-hit effort was also Rodriguez's fourth straight, and his current hot streak, which arguably constitutes his best offensive stretch of the season, has boosted his batting average and OPS by 34 and 71 points, respectively.
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Mariners' Julio Rodriguez: Clubs eighth homer
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Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Friday's 11-6 loss to the Pirates.
Rodriguez slugged a solo shot in the first inning and added a two-run single in the fifth for his fourth multi-hit effort in his last five games. He'd gone 12 contests without a homer entering Friday. The outfielder appears to be turning things around after struggling through the first quarter of the campaign. He's slashing .233/.302/.416 with eight homers, 26 RBI, 33 runs scored and eight stolen bases through 49 games.
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Mariners' Julio Rodriguez: Stays hot in Wednesday's win
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Rodriguez went 2-for-5 with an RBI single in a win over the Athletics on Wednesday.
Rodriguez' fourth-inning single brought home the Mariners' fourth run of the frame. The talented outfielder did strike out in three of his five plate appearances after going back-to-back contests without a strikeout, but he's picked up the pace at the plate of late by posting a .271 average with four doubles, a home run, eight RBI and a 10.9 percent walk rate across the 55 plate appearances covering his last 12 games.
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Mariners' Julio Rodriguez: Three hits in Monday's win
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Rodriguez went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a hit-by-pitch, one RBI and three runs scored in Monday's 11-2 win over the Athletics.
Rodriguez had gone just 4-for-30 over the last eight games since his three-hit effort May 12 versus the Tigers. He hasn't homered since that game. The second-year outfielder has shown flashes this season, but he's struggling at a .216/.293/.395 slash line with seven home runs, 22 RBI, 32 runs scored and eight stolen bases through 45 contests.
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Mariners' Julio Rodriguez: Registers eighth steal
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Rodriguez went 0-for-2 with three walks, a stolen base and two runs scored in Saturday's 7-3 win over Atlanta.
Rodriguez dropped to 8-for-43 (.186) over his last 11 contests, but he was able to record multiple walks for the first time since April 23. Saturday's effort spiked his walk rate up to 8.7 percent, and he's striking out at a 28.6 percent clip this season. It's been almost exclusively a decrease in average that's led to something resembling a sophomore slump for the 22-year-old. He's slashing .209/.286/.384 through 43 contests this season after posting a .284/.345/.509 line last year. Rodriguez has still added solid counting starts in 2023 with seven home runs, eight steals, 21 RBI and 29 runs scored.
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Mariners' Julio Rodriguez: Thriving since moving down order
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Rodriguez, who's reached safely in all four games since being moved out of the leadoff spot, may be more relaxed without the pressure of hitting out of the top of the order, James Schapiro of MLB.com reports. "It's just taking a deep breath, is what he's doing," manager Scott Servais said. "[The] team's not doing a whole lot, he wants to jump up and be the guy to help us out. So [not hitting in the leadoff spot] just gives him a little more time to relax."
Rodriguez was slashing a paltry .204/.266/.387 in 155 plate appearances out of the leadoff spot before Servais opted to switch him to sixth in the order for Wednesday's series finale against the Rangers, a game in which he went 1-for-4 with a run. The Mariners skipper then bumped Rodriguez up to the No. 3 hole in the lineup for two of the three games in the weekend set against the Tigers and the cleanup spot for the other contest in the series. Rodriguez responded by going 4-for-12 with a home run, five RBI, two walks, a stolen base and four total runs versus Detroit, perhaps snapping him out of his extended funk for the time being. Servais emphasized he'll maintain a flexible approach with Rodriguez's lineup placement for now, and continued success in spots other than the leadoff role will likely keep him closer to the middle of the order.
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Mariners' Julio Rodriguez: Four RBI in blowout win
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Rodriguez went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run, two additional RBI and an additional run scored in Friday's 9-2 victory over the Tigers.
Rodriguez's two-run single in the second extended Seattle's lead to 5-0, and his seventh homer of the season made it 9-2 in the ninth. The reigning Rookie of the Year has gotten off to a slow start this year and was even moved down the batting order recently, but when he's right, the superstar center fielder is as good as anyone in the game. Friday's outing marking Rodriguez's first three-hit game of the year, but he's still slashing just .219/.280/.411.
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Mariners' Julio Rodriguez: Batting third versus lefty
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Rodriguez is starting in center field and batting third Friday for the Mariners' game versus the Tigers.
Rodriguez was moved down from leadoff to the six spot Wednesday against a righty, but with lefty Matthew Boyd starting Friday he'll slide up to the middle of the order. For what it's worth, J-Rod has just a .616 OPS versus southpaws so far this season.
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Mariners' Julio Rodriguez: Moved down to six spot
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Rodriguez will start in center field and bat sixth in Wednesday's game against the Rangers, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
It's the first time this season that Rodriguez isn't leading off in a game he started. The superstar outfielder has just a .658 OPS on the season and is 2-for-29 with 11 strikeouts so far in May. Still, he's hardly alone among Mariners regulars in struggling, so it's a bit of a surprise to see such a precipitous drop in the lineup. Shortstop J.P. Crawford is leading off Wednesday.
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Mariners' Julio Rodriguez: Back in outfield Friday
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Rodriguez is leading off and playing center field against the Astros on Friday, Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports 710 AM reports.
Rodriguez has been the designated hitter over the last two games after missing a pair of games with a back issue, but he'll be back patrolling center field for the Mariners on Friday against Cristian Javier and the Astros.
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Mariners' Julio Rodriguez: Walks, scores in return
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Rodriguez (back) went 0-for-4 with a walk and a run in an extra-inning win over the Athletics on Wednesday.
The Mariners were cautious with their star outfielder in his return from a two-game absence, limiting him to designated hitter duties. Rodriguez has now reached safely in three straight games, but he's still carrying a disappointing .231 average and .297 on-base percentage through 128 plate appearances thus far this season.
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Mariners' Julio Rodriguez: Returns to lineup as DH
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Rodriguez (back) is leading off as the designated hitter for Wednesday's game against the Athletics, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.
Rodriguez was scratched late from Tuesday's game against the Athletics because of the back soreness that saw him miss Sunday's game against Toronto, but it appears the star outfielder will be back at the top of the lineup against the A's on Wednesday. Jarred Kelenic is playing center field with Rodriguez at DH, and Taylor Trammell will begin the game on the bench.
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Mariners' Julio Rodriguez: Late scratch from lineup
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Rodriguez has been scratched from the lineup against the Athletics on Tuesday due to back soreness, Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reports.
Rodriguez was scheduled to hit leadoff against the Athletics after missing Sunday's game due to the back injury he picked up against the Blue Jays on Saturday, but the star outfielder will miss at least one more game as he recovers. Jarred Kelenic moves over to center field and AJ Pollock will replace Rodriguez in the lineup while hitting eighth as the designated hitter.
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Mariners' Julio Rodriguez: Returns to lineup against Athletics
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Rodriguez (back) is hitting leadoff and playing center field against the Athletics on Tuesday, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.
Rodriguez missed Sunday's game against the Blue Jays after leaving Saturday's contest with stiffness in his back, but the Mariners called the exit and absence precautionary and he's back in the leadoff spot to begin the three-game series against Oakland.
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Mariners' Julio Rodriguez: Out with back injury Sunday
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Rodriguez (back) is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
Rodriguez worked out prior to the game and hit in the cage, but the Mariners will give the 22-year-old outfielder a day to recover after leaving Saturday's game with tightness in his back. The Mariners will take every necessary precaution with Rodriguez, but there's seemingly a good chance he's back in the lineup beginning Tuesday when Seattle travels to Oakland.
