Mariners' Julio Rodríguez projected to return to lineup Saturday

SEATTLE (AP) — Julio Rodriguez, the Seattle center fielder who was placed on the seven-day injured list July 3 because of a concussion, is projected to return to the Mariners’ lineup Saturday against the San Francisco Giants.

Rodríguez was struck by a ball in the back of the head in a 1-0 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on July 2. He took part in pregame drills, ran the bases and was set to take swings off a pitching machine Friday, general manager Justin Hollander said.

“It’s been a couple of weeks, he hasn’t done a lot of the things that you need to do in terms of full pregame, full activation, that sort of stuff. So, we’ll see where he is after today," Hollander said. “I would be hopeful that he’ll be ready to go tomorrow, but I don’t know that, and we’ll just see how he feels after the full pregame today.”

Victor Robles started in place of Rodríguez on Friday night and batted eighth.

The three-time All-Star Rodríguez played in a career-high 160 games last season. He had played in 87 games this season, hitting .259 with 15 doubles, 14 home runs, 40 RBIs and 12 stolen bases.

Meanwhile, All-Star utilityman Brendan Donovan started a rehab assignment for Triple-A Tacoma on Friday. Donovan was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left groin muscle strain in May.

The 29-year-old appeared in a game for the Mariners’ Arizona Complex League team on Wednesday, going 0 for 3 with three strikeouts and a walk.

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