Seattle Mariners designated hitter Rob Refsnyder made a strong return from the injured list on Tuesday night, hitting a two-run home run and a double in a 7-6 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The 35-year-old had been sidelined for a month with right knee inflammation.
His two extra-base hits in a 2-for-4 performance doubled his season total, giving him five extra-base hits this year.
Before the game, Refsnyder acknowledged his early-season struggles, which included a . 147/.
213/. 266 slash line with a .
479 OPS, four home runs, 11 RBIs, and nine runs scored over 123 plate appearances in 50 games.
“There’s no excuses. I haven’t really been proud of how I’ve competed or played,” Refsnyder said.
“We’ve tried a bunch of things, but hopefully turn the page… I’m not trying to hit a home run every at-bat.
My job is to have good at-bats for the team and hopefully get on base.”
During his rehab assignment in Arizona and with Triple-A Tacoma, Refsnyder worked with hitting coaches Seth Mejias-Brean and Ed Paparella to adjust his swing.
“Super thankful. Staff here, staff in Arizona, Tacoma – just very appreciative of all their hard work and time.
Feeling better,” he said. “Super thankful for Pap (Paparella) – before he got here, we worked together in Arizona.
A lot of great people behind the scenes, so very thankful for that.”
Refsnyder explained that his knee injury had affected his mechanics, leading to a steep, downward swing.
He made specific adjustments, such as turning his back foot out to relieve stress on his knee.
“So just kind of the way my knee was setting up, it wasn’t allowing me to do some things,” he said.
“I think you’ll see tonight my back foot’s turned out a little bit to try to alleviate some stress on my back knee.”
He credited the medical and training staff for his recovery, saying, “I feel like I can compete. I feel like I can help the team.
The training staff, the strength staff, I give them so much credit.”
Refsnyder also noted that many players are dealing with injuries this time of year. “Everyone’s banged up this part of the year,” he said.
“Everyone’s got something that they’re probably working through or thinking about.”
The Mariners will look to build on this win in Game 2 of the series against the Dodgers on Wednesday night.
