Victor Robles is back again.
The Mariners activated Robles from the injured list on Friday as the team heads to Kansas City to start a six-game road trip. Robles began the year in the majors but was placed on the injured list in early April with a right pectoral strain. The Mariners optioned Connor Joe to Tacoma to make room for him. Joe had replaced Robles on the roster following the initial injury, so the move is something of a full circle.
For Robles, it’s a re-re-restart. He was a revelation for
the Mariners in 2024 — one of the few things that year that went well in the lineup — posting a 155 wRC+ in 262 plate appearances. The team felt strongly enough that they gave him a two-year contract extension to keep him through the end of 2026 with an option for 2027. But Robles missed most of last year after exploding his shoulder diving for a ball in the stands in San Francisco. His journey back to the majors included getting pelted over and over and over by minor leaguers, which led to him hurling his bat at a pitcher in frustration. He did eventually return to the majors after a suspension, but the results were poor, finishing the year with a 75 wRC+ in 114 plate appearances. Despite the performance at the plate, Robles made perhaps the most important catch in team history last year, helping finish off the Astros in the AL West.
Plays like that are what the Mariners are hoping to get from his spot on the roster. He’s fast, athletic, and has a strong arm in right field — things the team has sorely lacked this year. But what that amounts to is never clear for Robles. He hasn’t been a good defender, with -5 OAA since 2023, though that still represents an upgrade over the current options. He has been a fantastic base runner, with 37 steals in 40 tries since coming to Seattle. The Mariners right now are the second slowest team in the majors by sprint speed (though closer to the median in base running), so his presence makes them more “dynamic.” Still, it’s hard to run the bases if you’re not on base, and we haven’t seen Robles on base (or even on the field) much over the last year-plus.
For Joe, the demotion is unfortunate. He didn’t necessarily hit well during his brief stint, with a 93 wRC+ in 39 plate appearances. But he did make tremendous contact (.462 xwOBAcon) while drawing lots of walks (15.4%). His performance has been significantly better than the team’s other right-handed platoon option, Rob Refsnyder, who has an 8 wRC+ with much worse peripherals. Joe has also been the most productive pinch hitter on the team with two hits and three walks in eight tries.
But Joe had an option remaining, which allows the Mariners to hold onto him in the minors while they wait for Refsnyder tosnap out of his funk. Refsnyder had been one of the best right-handed platoon hitters in the majors the last several years, and the ceiling there is much higher. Still, he’s quickly approaching all-time levels of ineptitude, as the second worst hitter the majors among batters with at least 70 plate appearances. It’s not clear how much leash is left. In some ways, Joe has been everything the Mariners were hoping for out of Refsnyder, at least by the theoretical batting metrics in a small sample. And if things keep trending in this direction, Joe could return to the majors soon.
The Mariners also could have moved on from Patrick Wisdom, who was just activated from the injured list last week. But Wisdom can play third base, which may help the Mariners manage the J.P. Crawford and Colt Emerson situation on the left side of the infield.
It will be interesting to see what role Robles assumes. Again, both Refnsyder and Joe have been used mostly as pinch-and-platoon options, jumping in and out of games at the will of Dan Wilson. Robles in his healthy 2024 played more of an everyday role, but found himself the same platoon to begin 2026. The strong-side of the platoon — Dom Canzone and Luke Raley — have continued to hit, so it’s unlikely there’s everyday at bats for Robles until either he or they change.
Regardless of the what and the who and the where, it’s good that the Mariners are getting healthier. Matt Brash was activated from the injured list over the weekend. Bryce Miller was activated before him. The Mariners will need all the help they can get while Cal Raleigh, Brendan Donovan and Gabe Speier each sit.
The Mariners are three games under .500 and 2 1/2 back as we approach the one-third post of 2026.
