Mariners have a weird, but real reason to worry about Eugenio Suárez

When Eugenio Suárez returned to the Seattle Mariners at the deadline, it felt like a reunion straight out of a fan’s dream. The smile, the energy, the “Good Vibes Only” swagger, everything about Geno screamed the missing spark this team needed for the stretch run.

Unfortunately, the bat hesitated to come with it. 

For much of August, Suárez was stuck in a slump that made even the most loyal fans wince. Over his first two full weeks back in a Mariners uniform, he slashed a brutal .143/.197/.268. The same player who used to make pitchers pay with one swing looked completely out of sync, flailing at breaking balls and missing fastballs he normally punishes.

Mariners fans celebrate Suárez’s power surge, but is it fool’s gold?

But just as the frustration was peaking, Geno reminded everyone why he’s still dangerous. Clutch hits alongside back-to-back games with three-run homers heading into September have nudged his batting average up to .186 with six home runs and 17 RBIs in 24 games. It’s not pretty, but it’s something. Mariners fans are asking the natural question, has he finally turned the corner?

Even Suárez himself sounded optimistic after the Mariners’ 4-3 getaway win over the Padres.

“I think my approach right now, my tempo, my timing, is real good,” Suárez said. “I’ve just got to keep going, be consistent with that and not lose my timing.”

Encouraging words. But here’s where things get weird. The turnaround might not be as simple as it looks.

If you zoom in on his splits, a strange pattern emerges: Suárez is doing almost all his damage against National League teams.

• Against AL opponents: 7-for-56 (.125) with 2 HR
• Against NL opponents: 10-for-34 (.294) with 4 HR

That’s not nothing. The Mariners still have 12 games left against the NL, which could pad Geno’s numbers and help in the standings. But Seattle plays in the American League. And if this team is going to make a serious postseason push, they’ll need Suárez to hit AL pitching, especially come October.

What makes this even stranger is the contrast from last year. With Arizona in 2024, Suárez actually feasted on AL opponents (.301/.357/.556, 9 HR, 30 RBIs) and struggled more against the NL. This season, the script has flipped. Including his Arizona numbers, he’s at just .185/.277/.404 overall against the AL.

So what gives?

Maybe it’s just a small-sample blip. Maybe it’s his ongoing mechanical tweaks paying off more quickly against pitchers who haven’t seen him as often. But for a 12-year veteran, it’s not exactly the kind of split you expect to be staring at in September.

The good news is that Geno still has time. If he locks in during September, none of this will matter, and we’ll be talking about how he helped power the Mariners into October. The bad news? If that strange NL/AL split sticks around, fans may have to face the reality that their big reunion bat is only showing up for half the schedule.

For now, it’s a weird but very real reason for Mariners fans to keep worrying, even as they keep rooting for Geno to be Geno again.