Devastating AL West injuries can only help streaking Mariners hold 1st place

The Seattle Mariners hold a 2.5-game lead in the AL West after their most recent series against the San Diego Padres gave them a boost. And with a relatively light schedule over the next few weeks, they should be in good shape heading into the summer.

The Mariners have been known to give up large leads in the division (say, leads of up to 10 games), but it seems like fate is on their side this year.

While Seattle has been playing well, the misfortunes of the other teams in the division have made them look even better by comparison. More accurately, they're watching the other teams in their division encounter the same poor injury luck they've had to deal with over the past few seasons.

As banged up as the Mariners are, some teams in the AL West have it just as bad or even worse

Here are some of the notable names that recently hit the injured list for the other teams in the AL West:

• Houston Astros: Spencer Arrighetti (broken thumb), Hayden Wesneski (Tommy John surgery), Yordan Alvarez (hand strain)
• Texas Rangers: Kumar Rocker (shoulder impingement), Corey Seager (hamstring strain), Evan Carter (quadriceps strain)
• Los Angeles Angels: Ben Joyce (shoulder surgery), Mike Trout (knee bone bruise)
• Athletics: José Leclerc (lat strain), T.J. McFarland (adductor strain)

The Astros and Rangers have undoubtedly suffered the biggest losses, with each team's best hitter affected by injuries with unclear timelines to return.

Yordan Alvarez's hand inflammation was thought to be a minor injury that wouldn't necessitate an IL stint, but he still isn't back in action almost three weeks after he started feeling symptoms. Corey Seager has hit the injured list for the second time, with both occurrences due to similar hamstring issues. Given his reputation and that he still leads the lineup with a 147 OPS+, the Rangers will be hamstrung (no pun intended) without him.

The Angels' loss of Mike Trout is no surprise given his struggles to stay healthy over the past three seasons, and he had been experiencing diminished production this season. In fact, the Angels have found some recent success in his absence.

The pitching losses have been significant as well. The Astros have struggled to maintain any semblance of a healthy rotation ever since they won the World Series in 2022 and this season seems like no exception. Spencer Arrighetti broke his thumb in a freak accident during batting practice, while Hayden Wesneski's season will come to an end due to elbow discomfort that resulted in season-ending Tommy John surgery.

In a similar vein, Ben Joyce will also watch his 2025 campaign conclude after undergoing shoulder surgery. Kumar Rocker has been out for a month with a shoulder injury, but is working his way back to big league action.

The Mariners haven't had perfect injury fortunes in their own right. But if anything, they're on the other side of things. George Kirby has been actively working on a rehab assignment, while Logan Gilbert has been ramping up his throwing program. Bryce Miller was recently sidelined by elbow inflammation but given his numbers this year, perhaps the time off will help him return to form.

Even without Ryan Bliss, Victor Robles, and Luke Raley, the offense has found a way to make it work. Newer names have stepped up to fill the gaps and while it's far from perfect, it has been enough to keep the team comfortably in the playoff race.

FanGraphs currently gives the Mariners a roughly 80 percent chance to make the postseason and based on what they've been trotting out on the field (and what their rivals haven't been), their odds are looking better and better by the day.