As if the Mariners needed another thing to worry about. Randy Arozarena exited Seattle’s series opener against the Washington Nationals early after landing awkwardly on first base while trying to leg out a groundball in the top of the third inning. It was one of those plays that looked uncomfortable right away, mostly because nothing about the Mariners’ current injury luck allows anyone to assume the best.

Arozarena was able to walk off under his own power. But that doesn’t mean it was nothing. It looked like he landed awkwardly on the bag with his left foot. And there was plenty of attention around his left hamstring area, which is worth monitoring due to his past issues with that area.

For now, the Mariners are waiting on clarity. Seattle had to shuffle things quickly after Arozarena left the game. Luke Raley moved over to left field, and Víctor Robles entered the game in right field. That brought a small homecoming angle with it, since Robles was facing the organization that originally signed him and helped jumpstart his big-league career back in 2017.

Arozarena’s Injury Scare Comes at the Worst Possible Time for Seattle

Arozarena has been a quiet hero for the Mariners this season. With so many moving parts around this lineup, Arozarena has been steady and extremely valuable.

Entering the game, he was slashing .290/.377/.448 with seven home runs, 33 RBI and 18 stolen bases. In a contract year, he has been giving the Mariners exactly what they needed when they made the trade for him.

With Arozarena exiting early, the Mariners can probably expect at least a day-to-day tag while they wait for the official diagnosis. And even if this ends up being minor, leg injuries are not exactly easy for outfielders to shrug off. 

The Mariners are already trying to survive without a fully healthy version of their ideal lineup. Cal Raleigh, Brendan Donovan and J.P. Crawford are all still out, which has forced Seattle to patch things together more than anyone would like.

Arozarena leaving early does not automatically mean the worst. But we also do not need to downplay how important he has been.

In limited play, Robles has been consistent, slashing .294/.294/.353. And with a righty on the mound you can probably expect to see more of Luke Raley and Dominic Canzone while Arozarena is out. 

So now Seattle waits. Again, for another important player to heal.

And if it feels like Mariners injury luck somehow found another way to get worse, well, that’s because it did.