The Seattle Mariners’ playoff hopes are slowly dwindling. The Mariners attempted to salvage their season by firing long-time manager Scott Servais and replacing him with former player Dan Wilson on Friday. In the first inning of the Wilson era, Seattle lost outfielder Victor Robles to a finger injury.

Robles was hit with a 95 mph fastball from San Francisco Giants starter Blake Snell while attempting to bunt in the bottom of the first inning Saturday. The eight-year veteran appeared to be in tremendous pain and left the game with a right index finger contusion, per Mariners PR on X. While hand injuries are always worrisome, x-rays of Robles’ finger were negative.

It appears Robles won’t miss significant time with the finger ailment, which is great news for the Mariners. The team needs all the offensive production it can muster and Robles has been a significant contributor to Seattle this season.

The Mariners signed Robles in June after he was released by the Washington Nationals. Since joining Seattle, the 27-year-old outfielder has been a bright spot. Robles is slashing .280/.340/.413 with an OPS+ of 121 in 50 games for the Mariners. He’s put up 1.3 bWAR on the season so far. Seattle rewarded Robles’ play by signing him to a two-year, $9.75 million extension earlier this month.

The Mariners can’t afford to lose Victor Robles

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Aug 14, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Seattle Mariners center fielder Victor Robles (10) runs down a fly ball in deep center field against the Detroit Tigers in the first inning at Comerica Park.
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The Mariners were active at the trade deadline bringing in Randy Arozarena in a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays and veteran Justin Turner who came over from the Toronto Blue Jays. Seattle hoped to take advantage of a spectacular starting rotation by upgrading its offense. The Mariners appeared set in the outfield with the trio of Robles, Arozarena and two-time All-Star Julio Rodriguez.

However, Rodriguez landed on the injured list with a high ankle sprain prior to the Arozarena trade. While Rodriguez returned to the Mariners’ lineup August 11, he’s been relegated to the designated hitter role while Robles filled in for him in center field. The trio was to play their first game together in the outfield Saturday with Robles in right, Arozarena in left and Rodriguez back in center. The group got one inning together on the grass as Robles was forced from the game in the bottom of the first.

The Mariners can ill afford to lose Robles to an IL stint. The team is 65-65 overall and 13-18 since returning from the All-Star break. Seattle is 4.5 games behind the first-place Houston Astros in the AL West. Despite the deficit, the Mariners’ best chance of making the postseason is by winning the division. The team is seven games back in the AL Wild Card race and would need to overtake the Boston Red Sox and the Minnesota Twins to land the third Wild Card berth.