Brock Rodden’s rookie year is officially over for the Mariners, sidelining him for the final series of the season with left patella tendon inflammation. The club has activated Leo Rivas to step in and fill that role for the last weekend of the regular season, meaning an already tight situation for the Emerald City just got more complicated as the M’s look to close things out.
Rodden’s Debut: A Tough Learning Curve
Man, this is a tough break for Rodden, capping off what’s been a difficult debut season for the guy. We saw glimmers, right? There was that spark of hot initial play on Seattle’s brutal August road trip. For a minute, you thought, “Here we go!” But then, the diminutive switch-hitter couldn’t keep that heat going. He cooled off big time at the plate and struggled to compensate defensively. We know he’s got impressive power from his minor league days, but getting the barrel to the ball consistently in Seattle? That was the challenge, and it didn’t happen for him this year. His season wraps up with a line of .197/.306/.279, a 77 wRC+, and a -0.4 fWAR across 72 plate appearances in 30 games. Sure, his plate discipline was good, and being a switch-hitter helped him run a healthy walk rate. But heading into his age 27 season in 2027, the big question mark is finding better timing against big league arms. We were all hoping for more, weren’t we?
Rivas Steps In: A Familiar Face, But Can He Deliver?
So, with Rodden out, it’s Leo Rivas coming back to T-Mobile Park. And honestly, a lot of what we just said about Rodden’s struggles this year could apply to the 28-year-old Rivas in 2026 too. Remember how he had a pretty good showing for us a season ago? Yeah, well, that just didn’t translate forward this year. The M’s were sorely needing depth, especially early in the year, and he just struggled to provide it. He kind of lost favor as several young guys started making their debuts and stealing some shine. He was more competent when he returned to the bigs back in August, which is something, but let’s be real, he’s probably looking at sporadic play at most over these final few games of the regular season. It feels like a tough spot to be in, needing someone to step up for the final push, and bringing in a guy who’s also been battling to find his footing.
This season is wrapping up, and getting consistent offensive timing from our guys at the plate is clearly going to be a massive focus for 2027. We’re talking about hitting big league arms with consistency, and that’s the absolute challenge ahead for both Rodden and Rivas as they look towards next year. Let’s hope the Emerald City sees some serious improvements and more consistent play coming next season!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Lookout Landing.
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