Julio Rodríguez gave the Seattle Mariners and their fans a real scare on Saturday night when he had to leave the game early after being struck by a hard-hit ball. The incident occurred in the third inning during their clash with the Los Angeles Angels, when a sharply batted ball by teammate Randy Arozarena struck Rodríguez directly on the right ankle while he was in motion on the basepaths.
The bizarre and painful moment happened as Rodríguez made an aggressive move to steal third base. Just as he was sprinting toward the bag, Arozarena connected on a pitch from Angels rookie Jack Kochanowicz, sending a 98.1 mph line drive straight toward left field. Instead, the ball drilled Rodríguez at full force, catching him where the foot and ankle meet — a vulnerable spot that left him limping immediately.
“I took off with a good jump, and then I just heard the bat crack,” Rodríguez explained. “But I never saw the ball — next thing I knew, it slammed into me. I had no chance to react.”
After the impact, Rodríguez tried to walk it off but couldn’t put much weight on his foot. He made it near the Angels’ dugout before going down to the ground in obvious discomfort. The Mariners' medical staff rushed to his side, and after a few minutes of evaluation, he was helped off the field with support, clearly struggling to walk.
“It was a sharp, intense pain,” he said later. “At first, I couldn’t feel much in my foot, and I definitely couldn’t walk right. But once the trainers started working on it, it began to feel better almost immediately.”
The good news? X-rays taken after the game came back negative, confirming there was no fracture or serious structural damage. With swelling already starting to subside and treatment going well, Rodríguez said there’s a realistic chance he could return as soon as Sunday for the series finale.
“The ankle is reacting better than I expected,” Rodríguez said with confidence. “We’ve been treating it aggressively, and I’m feeling really positive about getting back soon.”
Rodríguez had been performing well before the injury, going 2-for-2 at the plate that night, continuing a red-hot stretch in which he’s now batting .367 over his last 11 games. His presence has been a major spark for the Mariners’ offense, and his possible return on Sunday would be a big boost for a team trying to avoid a three-game sweep.
After Rodríguez’s exit, Leody Taveras took over in center field, but things quickly went sideways. In the very next half-inning, he misjudged a shallow fly from Zach Neto, allowing it to drop and bounce away for an error that put Neto on second base. Later, Chris Taylor sent a deep shot to the wall, and Taveras mistimed his jump, turning what might’ve been an out into a double.
The Mariners couldn’t overcome the momentum shift and ended up falling 8-6 to the Angels, setting up a high-pressure finale on Sunday to avoid the sweep.
For now, all eyes will be on Julio Rodríguez’s ankle. While the situation looked grim in the moment, early signs suggest the Mariners' star may have dodged a serious injury — and could be back in action just in time to help his team bounce back.
Description:
"Seattle Mariners star Julio Rodríguez left Saturday’s game vs. the Angels after being hit on the ankle by a 98.1 mph line drive. X-rays were negative, and with swelling subsiding, there's optimism he could return for the series finale. Mariners aim to avoid a sweep."