Josh

Naylor

Naylor helped break this game open with a two-run single off Dustin May in the second inning to make this game 7-0. The Mariners stopped scoring after that, but still had enough to win the game. Despite a poor season at the plate, Naylor has recouped some of his fantasy value with 25 stolen bases.

Naylor returns to first base and will hit sixth following a one-game absence due to right wrist soreness. The 29-year-old has been a disappointment from an over-the-fence power and batting average standpoint, hitting just .263 with 10 homers across 474 plate appearances in 111 games. He’s managed to salvage his season from a fantasy perspective by tallying 23 stolen bases, putting him on pace for his second consecutive 30-steal campaign.

Naylor tweaked his wrist on a swing last week. It doesn’t sound like a significant concern, especially since he launched a pair of round-trippers during Sunday’s series finale against the Rays. However, the Mariners are going to proceed with an abundance of caution to prevent it from developing into a greater concern. Fantasy managers should consider Naylor day-to-day for now. It’ll be Weston Wilson taking over at the cold corner in his absence.

Naylor had 10 total bases tonight. The rest of the Mariners had five, all on singles. It’s Naylor’s seventh career two-homer game and the first to come in a loss. He has 10 homers on the season.

He’ll get a breather against Tigers LHP Framber Valdez. Naylor is hitting .267/.330/.314 since July — with zero homers — and .260/.323/.355 on the season. He’s still giving you the occasional steal, but it’s been a rough year for Naylor so far.

Naylor has been very consistently mediocre offensively throughout the season, but the steals have been there once again; he’s now 21-for-25, even though he went his first 21 games without attempting one. He’s batting .261/.323/.359, giving him a .682 OPS. He hasn’t finished a game with an OPS under .660 or above .700 since May 6.

He missed the last two games with the injury, but Naylor is ready to roll against Orioles RHP Shane Baz on Thursday. The 28-year-old is hitting .253/.315/.372 in 296 plate appearances so far this season, with eight homers and 13 stolen bases.

Naylor receives some extra time off to rest and recover as he battles a lingering wrist issue. The 28-year-old slugger also fouled a ball off his shin over the weekend, which didn’t help matters. It’ll be Miles Mastrobuoni taking over at first base in his absence. All indications have been that Naylor will be ready to return to Seattle’s lineup at some point this week.

Mariners general manager Justin Hollander told reporters Naylor is dealing with both shin and wrist issues that will keep him sidelined for at least Tuesday’s contest. It sounds like he’ll avoid a trip to the injured list, especially since initial X-rays didn’t reveal any fractures after he fouled a ball off his shin over the weekend.

Naylor fouled a baseball directly off his shin and looked to be in quite a bit of pain. He was able to finish the at-bat, but exited when Seattle went on defense. For now, Naylor should be considered day-to-day.