Following a clutch at-bat by Josh Naylor that sent Monday night’s game into extra innings, the Mariners first baseman finds himself out of the lineup for Tuesday night’s game against the New York Mets due to back spasms.
Josh Naylor Suffers Back Spasms
According to Mariners Manager Dan Wilson, Naylor experienced tightness in his back following his game-tying home run on Monday night. While the injury is not believed to be serious, Seattle is taking a cautious approach with one of their most productive hitters.
Naylor delivered one of the biggest moments of the game on Monday while at the plate. He secured a solo home run off Mets reliever Brooks Raley in the seventh inning. The hit tied the score at 2-2 and helped force extra innings.
Unfortunately, all was not well for the first baseman. As he returned to the dugout, he informed the coaching staff that his back had tightened up.
“I believe it was more on the swing, on the home run,” Wilson said, as reported by Andrew Destin of the Associated Press. “And when he got back in, it was tight.”
The good news for Seattle, however, is that Naylor appeared to be feeling better as soon as the next day. Wilson said the first baseman’s condition had improved overnight. However, the club decided that it would be best to give him the day off.
“(He’s) feeling better today for sure,” Wilson said ahead of Tuesday’s game, according to ESPN.
“We’re going to give ‘Naylz’ a day (off) today just to recoup,” Wilson said as reported by Adam Jude of The Seattle Times. “But he’s feeling much better today. He likely would be available later in the ballgame, but we’ll see how it goes.”
Wilson went on to emphasize that the decision was made with the rest of the season in mind.
“We felt it (was) a good idea to give him a day today, and see how he recovers, see if it kind of speeds it up,” Wilson said. “There’s a long way to go in this thing,” he added, “and letting him catch his breath here today is a good idea.”
Seattle Mariners Season
Naylor’s recent surge has helped provide stability to an offense that has been searching for consistency throughout the 2026 season. Naylor’s ability to get on base and drive in runs has been increasingly important factor in the Mariner’s recent success.
Seattle enters Tuesday’s game riding a seven-game winning streak while sitting at the top of the AL West standings. Momentum has continued to build as the season progresses into the summer months. While some major contributors such as Cal Raleigh and Brenden Donovan face IL stints, the health of Naylor remains especially important.
Hopefully, the injury is minor and Naylor is able to return to the lineup soon. With reports that he is already improving, and potentially available off the bench if needed, Mariner’s fans can remain hopeful that a few days of rest will be enough to get Naylor back up and swinging.
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