Mariners activate Victor Robles just in time for him to face his arch nemesis

Seattle Mariners fans can finally exhale: Victor Robles has made it back. After months of shoulder rehab and enough “How’s he looking?” updates to fill a novel, the Mariners sparkplug is returning to the big-league roster.

Of course, this is the Mariners, so the news comes wrapped in a bittersweet bow. Dylan Moore, the versatile, do-everything utility man who has quietly held down just about every infield and outfield spot in his tenure was designated for assignment. His second half of 2025 was, to put it gently, not one for the scrapbook. Still, it’s a gut-punch to see a long-tenured Mariner head out the door.

But let’s be honest: Nobody’s talking about roster shuffles today. They’re talking about the drama. And boy, does this one come with layers.

Mariners’ Victor Robles returns just in time for round three with Joey Estes

Less than 24 hours before Robles’ activation, the Athletics called up right-hander Joey Estes. Yes, that Joey Estes. The same pitcher who, during Robles’ Triple-A rehab assignment, managed to plunk him not once, but twice in the same series. In total, Robles was hit by five pitches during that rehab stint, the final one sparking a benches-clearing shove-fest after Robles launched his bat toward Estes in a moment that went viral faster than you can say “Estes has control issues.”

If this sounds like a subplot ripped from a baseball soap opera, it only gets better — or worse, depending on your sense of humor. This wasn’t even the first incident. Estes drilled Robles back on September 5, 2024, with the very first pitch of a game between the Mariners and A’s. That’s three HBPs in less than one calendar year from one pitcher to one batter. You can’t even make that up.

Now, fate has decided these two must meet again. They’ve already tangled in the Oakland Coliseum, they’ve scrapped at Las Vegas Ballpark, and now the stage is set in T-Mobile Park. It’s feeling less like baseball and more like a traveling fight promotion.

No one expects a full-on brawl (at least not officially), but Mariners fans would be forgiven for circling this series in red ink. It’s baseball’s strangest feud of the year, and the plotlines keep writing themselves. Mariners fans will pack the park not just to welcome back Robles, but to watch what happens when he digs into the box against Joey Estes on August 24.

Sometimes the game doesn’t need hype, it just needs two guys who can’t seem to stop colliding.