The Seattle Mariners will begin the second half of the season with the first leg of a six-game homestand against the San Francisco Giants at 7:10 p.m. PT on Friday at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.

The Mariners will be hoping for a more favorable second half compared to their first. Entering the All-Star Break, Seattle was 48-49 and 1.5 games out of first place in the American League West, trailing the Texas Rangers.

The Mariners are tied for the final wild card spot in the American League with the Minnesota Twins, and will be looking to keep their hold in the playoff standings.

A large part of Seattle's disappointing showing during the first half of the season was the injuries, which impacted both the bullpen and the position players' side.

One of those injuries was suffered by utility player Brendan Donovan, who the team acquired in a three-team trade from the St. Louis Cardinals in the offseason.

Donovan has been on the injured list twice this season due to a left groin strain related to a sports hernia surgery he underwent last year with the Cardinals.

Donovan was on the shelf from April 20-May 8 and went back on the shelf a week-and-a-half later on May 17.

In the midst of his pair of IL stints, Donovan was one of the Mariners' most effective hitters. In 25 games, he's slashed .274/.386/.452 with an .838 OPS and hit four doubles, a triple and three home runs with eight RBIs.

Donovan was expected to begin his rehab assignment the week of the team's final road trip before the All-Star Break, but the team opted to be cautious and delay his return to game action.

The 2025 All-Star played his first game for the Arizona Complex League (ACL) Mariners in a game against the ACL Padres on Wednesday.

Donovan served as the designated hitter in the rookie league contest. He showed his rust, going 0-for-3 with three strikeouts and drawing a walk in the 8-2 loss against the Padres.

Seattle will likely take the cautious approach with Donovan's rehab assignment, opting to steadily working him in the field and making sure he can play consecutively without injury, similar to when Cal Raleigh was going through his oblique strain.

There's no set time frame on when Donovan will conclude his rehab assignment or when the Mariners plan to activate him.

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