Seattle Mariners' Jorge Polanco Provides Clarity on His Recovery From Knee Injury
If the Seattle Mariners are going to rebound from a second-place finish in the American League West last season, they are going to need a big year from Jorge Polanco.
Polanco, the infielder who signed a contract to return to Seattle this season, is moving to third base this year as he recovers from a torn patellar tendon in his left knee.
As I observed during my week stay in Peoria, Polanco looks generally comfortable at third base and looked generally comfortable during his rehab work.
Speaking with MLB.com this week, Polanco says he has bouts of soreness still, but he feels like he's progressing nicely for the season.
“I’m closer to 100 percent right now,” Polanco said. “I’m going to say that I’m kind of sore a little bit, but I’m going to start playing more just to get my confidence up. But it feels really close.”
The Mariners are reaching go-time when it comes to deploying their starters more regularly -- but especially at third base for Jorge Polanco, who was limited early in camp after offseason knee surgery.
— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) March 12, 2025
"I'm closer to 100 percent right now."https://t.co/loYwTKg5qa
He mentioned that the soreness comes after games, and the M's have eased him into game action. He has only played a handful of innings at third base at this point, though the workload should intensify over the next two weeks before Opening Day.
A former All-Star in Minnesota, Polanco struggled last season, to the tune of a .213 average with 16 homers and 45 RBI. The hope is that with a healthy knee, he can be much closer to the player the M's thought they were getting when they traded for him last offseason.
The Mariners open regular season play on March 27 at home against the Athletics.
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