The Seattle Mariners activated Brendan Donovan off the injured list Tuesday ahead of the home series opener against the Detroit Tigers. With the arrival of Taylor Ward, the Mariners announced a series of moves after the MLB Trade Deadline. In a corresponding move, the Seattle Mariners designated Stuart Fairchild for assignment. His only appearances was as a pinch runner.
Donovan has been out since May 17th when the Seattle Mariners promoted Colt Emerson from Triple-A Tacoma. When healthy, Donovan plays well for Seattle. He got off to a hot start to the 2026 season before injuries plagued his debut year for the Mariners. He bats .274/.386/.452 with 3 home runs in 101 plate appearances.
The Seattle Mariners traded for Donovan from the St. Louis Cardinals after giving up Jurrangelo Cijntje, Tai Peete, and a draft pick. Ben Williamson also went to the Tampa Bay Rays in the trade. The Mariners need Donovan to live up to his expectations so the team can make a charge towards the playoffs in the second half of the season.
The Mariners currently stand 2.5 games back of the Houston Astros, and Seattle holds the tiebreaker over them as well.
Seattle Mariners Activate Brendan Donovan Off the Injured List
Donovan could be one of the keys for the Mariners to reverse the bad fortune of their season.
The Seattle Mariners have Donovan slated to return to the lineup tonight against the Detroit Tigers. He’s going to play everyday at third base while J.P. Crawford sits on the injured list with a right-hand inflammation injury. Donovan hits in the seven spot on Tuesday. Coincidentally, today also marks the debut of Ward with the Seattle Mariners. He is positioned to bat eighth in the lineup tonight at designated hitter.
Donovan and Ward batting at the bottom of the lineup gives the Mariners some length that they desperately needed. Their offense has plummeted over the last few months because of injury and poor play. When Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodríguez, and Josh Naylor start getting back to their old selves, the Mariners have a significantly upgraded batting order with this recent news.
The Mariners Finally Have Hope
Today marks the healthiest the Mariners have been all season long offensively.
With the announcement of the Donovan news on Tuesday, tonight’s game against the Detroit Tigers marks the healthiest the Mariners have been offensively since the beginning of the season. Even though Crawford and Luke Raley sit on the injured list, they have not been major contributors the Mariners in terms of scoring runs lately. Raley had a hot start to the season, but he cooled off massively over the last several months.
With the arrival of Donovan and Ward, the Mariners hopefully will not have to rely on short term band-aids any longer. The keys for success now give pressure to the Mariners star players to turn the season around, so they can get back to the playoffs again. There is still hope for this season to mimic the success they experienced in 2025, but they need to get going now.
Seattle Mariners Announce Pivotal Return Ahead of Tigers Series