Seattle Mariners Veteran Finally Sees Game Action After Lengthy Absence

SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners lineup has been on a roll since the trade deadline July 31.

Entering Thursday, the Mariners were 5-1 since the deadline with series wins over the Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox. Over that stretch, the offense, which now features first baseman Josh Naylor and third baseman Eugenio Suarez, is averaging 5.8 runs a game. They scored 16 runs in the first two games against the White Sox.

The additions of Naylor and Suarez have had the exact effect Seattle hoped they would. It's also resulted in less playing time for the bench players.

Veteran infielder Donovan Solano is one of the players that saw his playing time reduced with the additions. He hadn't played since July 24 — the same day the Mariners acquired Naylor from the Arizona Diamondbacks -- until entering for an apparently injured Naylor in the top of the fourth inning on Thursday.

"It's a tough balance right now," Seattle manager Dan Wilson said in a pregame interview Thursday. "We still have a long way to go and finding those guys opportunities — we were hoping to get (Solano) in the game the other day in Naylor's spot, but didn't come up. It's finding those opportunities when we can. We play a lot of close games, so that becomes a little bit more difficult."

The 37-year-old veteran was signed to a one-year, $3.5 million contract in the offseason. He was originally planned to be the Mariners' platoon option at first base against left-handed pitching.

Despite not receiving much playing time lately, Solano has satisfied the veteran player-coach-type role that the organization's front office has valued in the past with former players Justin Turner and Carlos Santana.

"(Solano) is one of those guys that, I think, that's a born leader," Wilson said. "He has such a great rapport with everybody. He's been around the game a long time, he's experienced a lot in this game, and is willing to share it and talk guys through situations and streaks and stretches. He's just a guy that's super valuable in terms of that, and what he has meant to us all along has been huge. He's a guy you love to have in that clubhouse."

Solano has scored nine runs in 64 games this season and has hit three doubles, a triple and three home runs with 20 RBIs. He's slashed .243/.291/.336 with a .627 OPS.