Seattle Mariners Exec Reveals Reason For Felnin Celesten's Lengthy Absence

SEATTLE — One of the Seattle Mariners top executives provided some clarity on one of the team's top prospect's lengthy absence earlier this month.

Felnin Celesten, shortstop for the Single-A Modesto Nuts, missed nearly two weeks of action from May 11-22. He was originally penciled into the lineup for a game against the Visalia Rawhides on May 13, but was scratched late.

Mariners general manager Justin Hollander explained in a pregame interview Tuesday that the 19-year-old middle infielder was experiencing "dizziness."

"He had some dizziness, so they had him see the (doctor) — vertigo-like symptoms," Hollander said. "He's feeling better now. The dizziness, we don't really have a way of tracking what it came from, whether it was just a viral thing or something else was going on. But he's back DH-ing now. ... It was a little weird that when he ramped up activity, things started to move."

There was some trepidation and concern among fans about Celesten's absence. The No. 2 prospect in the 2023 international signing class (per MLB Pipeline) was held off from making his pro debut until 2024 due to hamstring issues. He was limited to just 32 games in the Arizona Complex League last season due to a fractured hamate bone in his left wrist. Celesten underwent season-ending surgery for that injury.

Celesten (No. 64 MLB Pipeline top 100, No. 82 Baseball America top 100) is playing his first season of "A" ball with Modesto. He's scored 17 runs and has hit four doubles, one triple, two home runs and 21 RBIs in 29 games entering Tuesday. He has a slash line of .310/.362/.405 with a .767 OPS.