Reds’ Spencer Steer Injury Sours Potential Mariners Trade Deadline Fit

Bad timing turned the Mariners’ cleanest target into their riskiest one.

Jul 12, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds outfielder Spencer Steer (7) hits a single in the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Usually, you’d like your trade deadline additions to arrive with an equipment bag, not a rehabilitation calendar. Unfortunately, that probably rules out Spencer Steer now. He made almost too much sense for the Mariners to target before a right wrist sprain sent him to the 15-day IL. The Reds utilityman reportedly could miss significant time, turning one of Seattle’s cleanest potential deadline fits into another medical question this club doesn’t need.

The Mariners should move on here. Steer checked the boxes because Seattle’s shopping list is super specific. They need a right-handed hitter who can punish lefties, but their roster doesn’t have an obvious vacancy for another everyday player. Steer offered a solution to both problems.

He has demolished lefties to a .342/.442/.620 slash line and 1.062 OPS this season. He has also appeared at first base, second base, third base and all three outfield positions. Seattle could have moved him around the diamond pretty easily. 

Steer left Sunday’s game on July 26 against the Cardinals in the middle of an at-bat after experiencing discomfort on a swing. By Monday, Cincinnati had placed him on the IL with a wrist sprain. With the Aug. 3 trade deadline arriving in a week, it ruins the point of acquiring him.

Spencer Steer’s Availability Matters More Than His Perfect Mariners Fit

Seattle entered the second half with an MLB-worst .631 OPS against left-handed pitching. The entire starting infield hits from the left side. Opposing teams can attack it now, and they will keep attacking it if the Mariners reach October.

Steer looked like a potential pressure valve. He could start against lefties and give Dan Wilson a bench weapon when he wasn’t in the lineup. That flexibility made Steer more valuable to the Mariners than his rather pedestrian .238/.319/.421 overall slash line suggested. But versatility only matters when the player is available. 

The Brendan Donovan Trade Should Be Seattle’s Warning

We have already watched this front office bet on health once. The Mariners acquired Brendan Donovan during the offseason after he underwent sports hernia surgery in October. He later indicated that his recurring hip and groin discomfort could be connected to the procedure.

Donovan has been productive when healthy, posting an .839 OPS. The problem is that “when healthy” has covered just 25 games and 101 plate appearances. Seattle traded for a versatile lineup solution and has spent most of the season waiting to use him.

It’s not an indictment on Donovan. It makes availability part of the acquisition cost. Trading for Steer now would ask the Mariners to make a similar bet with far less recovery time. They can’t afford to spend prospect capital on the hope that Steer’s wrist eventually cooperates while the standings keep moving.