Brady's Spin: It's Time to Start Being Nervous About Jorge Polanco's Availability For Opening Day
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It's time to start worrying about Jorge Polanco's Opening Day availability for the Seattle Mariners.
The Mariners will take on the Colorado Rockies on Sunday afternoon as part of Cactus League action in Scottsdale and Polanco is, again, nowhere to be found on the lineup card.
He had surgery on his left patellar tendon at the beginning of the offseason, but we have seen him taking swings, getting live batting practice, running the bases and working defensively at third base at the Peoria Sports Complex. So, he's done many important elements of the game, but we haven't seen him in games yet.
And with just over three weeks to go until Opening Day, that's certainly noteworthy. Donovan Solano, signed to play first base for this team, is playing third base again. If the M's are giving Solano a chance to work at third and giving Rowdy Tellez a chance to work at first, then it's quite possible that's a combination they are expecting to need early in the season.
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Now, perhaps Polanco will get in game action this week and it will be a moot point, or maybe he'll be able to DH at the outset of the season, but regardless, it's a bit worrisome.
While Polanco can't be expected to carry the lineup in 2025, he's certainly a big part of it. He hit just .213 last year with 16 homers, but with a healthy knee, the hope is that he can put up bigger numbers this season.
Speaking last week at M's spring training, manager Dan Wilson said Polanco hasn't experienced any setbacks, and while that may be true, every day that he doesn't play leads us to a little more concern.
First pitch on Sunday is 12:10 p.m. PT.
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