The Seattle Mariners placed third baseman Brendan Donovan on the 10-day injured list Monday with a left groin strain, retroactive to April 18, and selected infielder Will Wilson from Triple-A Tacoma to fill the active roster spot.
Donovan exited Friday’s 5-0 loss to the Texas Rangers after the third inning with left hip tightness, then missed Saturday’s series finale. The Mariners initially had Donovan’s situation as day-to-day before reversing course Monday.
The next move for the Mariners would have been to promote the No. 7 overall prospect, Colt Emerson, to take his spot; however, they decided on Will instead. Per Adam Jude of The Seattle Times, Emerson has been dealing with a wrist issue in Tacoma, which factored into the organization’s decision not to promote him Monday.
Colt Emerson has been dealing with a wrist issue in Tacoma, part of the reason the Mariners didn’t call him up today … https://t.co/smeZxLa87X
— Adam Jude (@A_Jude) April 20, 2026
Wilson has been having a great start in 14 games with Tacoma. The 27-year-old infielder has a .275 batting average in 47 plate appearances. It will be his first time back at the major league level since spending 34 games with the Cleveland Guardians.
The 20-year-old had been off to a decent start in Triple-A, with a .258 batting average, a .361 on-base percentage, and a .452 slugging percentage for an .813 OPS before the injury.
The timing is frustrating, given what the Mariners committed to Emerson less than three weeks ago. On April 1, Seattle announced an eight-year, $95 million extension that locks the shortstop up through 2033. The Mariners had been transparent about Emerson eventually sliding to third base at the big-league level, a transition he was working through in spring training before being reassigned to Tacoma.
© David Frerker-Imagn Images
Donovan heading to the IL is tough in the short term. When he’s healthy, he’s been one of Seattle’s best bats, posting a .304/.437/.518 slash line with three home runs and a .954 OPS in 18 games. The 29-year-old was part of a three-team trade back on February 2, where the St. Louis Cardinals traded him to the Mariners.
The biggest concern right now for the team is the overlap of two separate injury situations converging at the same position. This is now Donovan’s third health-related absence of the season, and considering that with Emerson’s wrist injury delaying his promotion, Seattle’s depth at third base will be tested. Will Wilson will give the team time, but the Mariners will need both players to recover quickly or begin searching for options before time runs out.