The Seattle Mariners did not include Josh Naylor in Sunday’s lineup against the St. Louis Cardinals due to minor quad tightness, according to an April 14 statement from manager Dan Wilson. Wilson said that Naylor remains available off the bench if needed.
Naylor has been one of the team’s most productive hitters recently. Over his last seven games, he has a .480 batting average, with 12 hits in 25 at-bats, two doubles, four runs batted in, four stolen bases and four walks. His on-base plus slugging percentage during this stretch is 1.213.
Wilson said: “He’s fine, just a little quad tightness from yesterday. Good day to kind of give him a blow. And we wanted to get [Connor Joe] some at-bats, too. So it’s a good day to get him in there.”
Naylor’s contributions have gone beyond his statistics at the plate. He delivered game-winning hits earlier this week against the Oakland Athletics and again Friday against the Cardinals. On Saturday, he went two-for-five with two stolen bases during an 11-9 win.
Since joining Seattle on July 25 last year, Naylor has successfully stolen every base he attempted—23 out of 23 tries—bringing what Wilson described as an aggressive edge on the basepaths that has influenced the team’s style of play.
While giving Naylor time to recover is seen as precautionary by team officials, his availability off the bench could still impact Sunday’s game if called upon.
