The Seattle Mariners are one of the bigger surprises in baseball this year. With two weeks remaining in the regular season, the Mariners hold the final wild card spot in the American League. Arguably the biggest reason for that is the play of rookie Julio Rodriguez.

Rodriguez was named to the AL All-Star team and is a shoe-in for American League Rookie of the Year. But on Thursday, the Mariners got some bad news as Rodriguez was forced from their game against the Athletics with lower back tightness.

Rodriguez left during the bottom of the first inning in Thursday's matinee. He recently missed some time with a back issue, so it's very possible this is the same issue flaring back up again. Rodriguez was held out of the final two games of their weekend series against the Angels with back discomfort.

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For the season, the outstanding rookie is hitting .279 with 27 home runs, 80 runs scored, 73 RBI and 25 stolen bases. There are only a couple guys in all of baseball with that level of a power-speed combination. His breakout performance has put the Mariners on the precipice of getting back into the postseason.

Entering play Thursday, Seattle is four games ahead of the Baltimore Orioles for the final wild card spot. They are also just a half game behind the Rays and 2.5 back of the Blue Jays.

However, the Mariners are scuffling a bit as of late. They have dropped six of their last 10 and are currently losing to the Athletics. If Rodriguez misses any more action, that could open the door just enough for Baltimore to catch them.