Brendan Donovan was absent from the Seattle Mariners’ lineup on April 4 as he recovers from a minor right groin issue. The third baseman, who joined the team this season, reported positive progress after completing a pregame workout focused on agility at Angel Stadium.
Donovan’s absence is considered precautionary, and his MRI results came back clean. He is being monitored day-to-day and is not expected to be placed on the 10-day injured list. However, the Mariners may keep him out for the remainder of their series against the Angels due to scheduling constraints.
“It was a little painful, but I’ve kind of got to manage it,” Donovan said about tweaking his groin while trying to beat out an infield single during Friday’s win over the Angels. He also suggested that this discomfort could be related to sports hernia surgery he underwent last October while playing for St. Louis: “Sometimes with these surgeries, with the [groin] and your hips, you can get some things that just kind of snag.”
The play in question saw Donovan sprinting after hitting a fastball up the middle at over 100 mph off his bat. As he tried to reach first base ahead of Oswald Peraza’s throw, he lunged awkwardly and landed hard enough for his helmet to come off—though he managed to catch it before it hit the ground. “I wanted that hit,” Donovan said. “I caught my helmet, though. That’s what I was fired up about.”
In Donovan’s place, Leo Rivas started at third base and batted ninth in Saturday’s lineup. Rivas recently completed a seven-game stint filling in at shortstop for J.P. Crawford while Crawford recovered from shoulder inflammation but remained on Seattle’s roster after Crawford returned Thursday.
