Seattle's big pregame question is Julio Rodriguez, who is in concussion protocol after taking a thrown ball to the back of the helmet Thursday night against the Angels. Victor Robles also left that same game with a right forearm issue — X-rays came back negative and he is day-to-day, but neither is a lock to play tonight. Losing J-Rod for even one game is not trivial for a Mariners lineup that already had Rob Refsnyder sidelined. The Blue Jays have their own lengthy injury ledger — Jose Berrios had Tommy John surgery in May, Bowden Francis is out, Addison Barger has a back stress reaction, and Anthony Santander (shoulder) has been on the 60-day IL since spring. Toronto's rotation depth behind Cease is essentially a construction zone.
- paternityGeorge Springer (DH) — Springer (personal) will serve as the Blue Jays' designated hitter and hit leadoff in Sunday's game against the Rangers.07/01
- 10-Day-ILAddison Barger (RF) — Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Monday that Barger (elbow) will be shut down for a couple of weeks after a recent MRI revealed a stress reaction in his back, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.06/29
- 10-Day-ILJesus Sanchez (RF) — The Blue Jays placed Sanchez on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a right ankle sprain.06/27
- 10-Day-ILLenyn Sosa (2B) — Sosa (wrist) will begin a rehab assignment Monday with the Blue Jays' Arizona Complex League affiliate, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.06/22
- 15-Day-ILMax Scherzer (SP) — Scherzer (back/side) will begin a rehab assignment with High-A Vancouver on Friday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.07/01
- 60-Day-ILYimi Garcia (RP) — Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Monday that Garcia (elbow/neck/biceps) has resumed playing catch, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.06/29
- 60-Day-ILAnthony Santander (RF) — Santander (shoulder) could resume hitting within the next week, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.06/18
- 60-Day-ILJoe Mantiply (RP) — Mantiply will undergo arthroscopic surgery to repair some damage in his left knee, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.06/04
- 60-Day-ILJose Berrios (SP) — Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that Berrios underwent full Tommy John surgery Wednesday in addition to having a stress fracture repaired, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.05/27
- 60-Day-ILCody Ponce (SP) — Ponce underwent surgery Friday to repair the ACL in his right knee, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.05/08
- 60-Day-ILBowden Francis (SP) — The Blue Jays placed Francis (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday.05/08
- Day-To-DayVictor Robles (RF) — X-rays on Robles' injured right forearm came back negative Thursday, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.07/03
- Day-To-DayJulio Rodriguez (CF) — Rodriguez is in concussion protocol and will be reevaluated Friday, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.07/03
- 10-Day-ILBrendan Donovan (3B) — Donovan (groin) ran sprints on the field Monday and will be re-evaluated after the Mariners' homestand to determine whether he's ready to begin a rehab assignment, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.06/29
- 10-Day-ILRob Refsnyder (DH) — The Mariners placed Refsnyder (knees) on the 10-day injured list Monday, Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reports.06/29
- 15-Day-ILCooper Criswell (RP) — Criswell was diagnosed with a Grade 1-plus pectoral strain Tuesday, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.06/17
- 15-Day-ILMatt Brash (RP) — General manager Justin Hollander said Tuesday that Brash was diagnosed with a Grade 1 strain in his right lat, Shannon Drayer of SeattleSports.com reports.06/16
- 60-Day-ILCarlos Vargas (RP) — Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said Tuesday that Vargas (lat) recently began a throwing program and could be ready to return from the 60-day injured list around the Aug. 3 trade deadline, Zac Hereth of 710 AM Seattle Sports reports.06/17
- 60-Day-ILWill Wilson (3B) — Wilson (thumb) has gone 3-for-9 with two RBI and a 1:2 BB:K in his first three rehab games between High-A Everett and Triple-A Tacoma.06/17
- 60-Day-ILLogan Evans (SP) — The Mariners placed Evans (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Monday.05/08
The Blue Jays at 41-46 are not playing for anything urgent right now — they are a team trying to find reasons for optimism in a year that has gone sideways. Cease is the most compelling reason, and he will be motivated after getting knocked around in his last start. Seattle at 45-43 is in the hunt and has genuine momentum after sweeping the Angels, including a 1-0 shutout win on Friday. The Mariners are playing crisp baseball at home, and Castillo's resurgence could not be better timed. Whether this game lives up to the billing on a July 4 night in the Pacific Northwest depends almost entirely on which Cease shows up.