The Seattle Mariners will activate utility player Brendan Donovan on Tuesday for their game against the Detroit Tigers at T-Mobile Park.
Donovan was cleared by medical staff after recovering from a left groin strain and taking time for the birth of his second child.
Donovan has been sidelined since mid-May due to the strain, which was related to sports hernia surgery he underwent last October.
His return comes as the team deals with a significant loss in the infield: veteran shortstop J. P.
Crawford was placed on the 10-day injured list on Friday with left wrist inflammation.
General manager Justin Hollander confirmed Donovan's readiness before Friday's series opener against the Minnesota Twins. Donovan completed a 10-game rehabilitation assignment across multiple minor league affiliates.
"He feels good and ready to go," Hollander said. "So once he's free and clear on his family stuff, he will join us, likely on Tuesday."
The club plans to ease Donovan back into action through a utility role, covering outfield, infield, and designated hitter spots.
"There will be some days off," Hollander added. "There'll be some DH days just to build him back up.
But he's in a good spot and feels really good about how his body's feeling."
Donovan's rehab stint began slowly with an 0-for-21 slump, but he finished on a four-game hitting streak, showing improved timing at the plate.
Hollander noted that his timing was off initially but improved in the final days of the assignment.
"He was underneath a lot of things to start out with, and out front," Hollander said.
"His timing was just off, and really got locked in the last three or four days of the rehab assignment.
We didn't need him locked in on Day 1 of the rehab assignment.
We were more focused on how he was moving and how he was feeling, and then by the time we got through the rehab, I think we saw him back to himself."
Media coverage highlighted the importance of Donovan's return for an offense averaging 4.0 runs per game this season.
Color analyst Ryan Rowland-Smith called it a "huge boost" and noted that Donovan's contact-oriented approach could help the team make a strong case at the trade deadline.
"Look, (it’s) a huge boost to the offense," Rowland-Smith said.
"You (could) get him right before you’re trying to prove to the front office that, hey, we want you to go hard here at the trade deadline.
Don’t make these kind of mid-range, we’ll see how this goes, this might give you a little boost here (type of moves).
If you wanna go all in like they did with (Eugenio Suárez) and Josh Naylor last year, you gotta show something from in house.
So, I think Brendan Donovan adds to that."
Rowland-Smith emphasized that Donovan's skill set—good at-bats and good contact—makes it easier for him to make an immediate impact compared to power hitters who rely on timing.
"It’s gonna be interesting because it’s been a little bit, but at the same time when you have a guy whose skill set is… good at-bats and good contact, I think that’s much easier to get in a rhythm and make an impact right out the gates as opposed to someone like a Cal (Raleigh) who is trying to get the timing down and time up mistakes and hit them out of ballpark," he said.
"So yes, it will be a huge boost."
In corresponding moves, infielder Leo Rivas was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma to replace Crawford.
Additionally, reliever Carlos Vargas is targeting a mid-August return from a lat strain after throwing a bullpen session scheduled for Saturday.
