Mariners’ Delayed Rob Refsnyder Move Puts Their Deadline Strategy Under the Microscope

It was a move that felt inevitable. Rob Refsnyder has been placed on the 10-day IL with Buddy Kennedy added to the major league roster. We won’t pile on Resnyder, we’ve done enough of that. But the Mariners’ situation is still a little frustrating.

Refsnyder had reportedly been dealing with discomfort in both knees. So, it’s not like this problem came out of nowhere. He came to Seattle to be a useful right-handed bat against left-handed pitching, and upgrade one of the M’s bench spots. But if his knees were bothering him badly enough that he eventually needed the IL, then we have to ask the obvious question: what exactly were the Mariners getting by keeping him active?

Mariners waited too long to admit Rob Refsnyder was not giving them enough

Seattle’s immediate response was to add Buddy Kennedy, which is fine. He gives them a right-handed bat. But expectations should also be tempered. The Mariners keep finding themselves in this familiar position. They make a move that can be defended on paper, but it still leaves the bigger question untouched. Kennedy will help the roster function. But if the larger issue is that Seattle still lacks enough dependable right-handed offense, then this isn’t as much a fix as it is another placeholder.

This Refsnyder move also lands in a larger context. Seattle is also managing other position-player injury situations, including Luke Raley’s left arm strain and Dominic Canzone’s hamstring tightness. Every team deals with injuries. This really isn’t just a unique situation to the Mariners. The bigger concern is how long Seattle is trying to operate in the gray area before making a hard decision.

When a team’s bench is already thin, every roster spot has to do something. But when one of those spots belongs to a player battling consistent knee issues, and providing minimal production, even through no fault of their own, something has to be done.

If Seattle wants to be taken seriously as a team with postseason expectations, then it cannot treat the trade deadline like a place to shop for another bench piece with upside. Refsnyder landing on the IL gives them a little room to reassess. Maybe he gets healthy, returns fresh and becomes the right-handed bat they thought they were getting. That would be the cleanest outcome, and many would be satisfied with that outcome.

But if his knees don’t respond quickly enough, a longer absence could eventually open the door to a 60-day IL move, which would clear a 40-man spot. At that point, Seattle would have even less reason to tiptoe around its need for a real right-handed bat.

Either way, the deadline conversation should be about adding someone who actually brings production to an offense that has needed it this season.

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