Mariners News: Lazaro Montes' big week, injury details for Victor Robles, George Kirby

After a devastating sweep at the hands of the San Francisco Giants over the weekend, the Seattle Mariners got back in the win column with a 4-3 victory over the Houston Astros on Monday.

This in and of itself is good news for Mariners fans, and there's plenty more to get caught up on Tuesday morning. Notably, the legend of Lazaro Montes is continuing to grow and we know more about Victor Robles' and George Kirby's respective shoulders than we did before.

Lazaro Montes wins acclaim and the Mariners provide updates on Victor Robles and George Kirby

Lazaro Montes is the Northwest League Player of the Week

As announced via the official MiLB account on X, Montes was named the Northwest League Player of the Week on Monday in response to an excellent three-game showing with the High-A Everett AquaSox.

We want the record to show that we were getting the Montes hype train chugging before news of his honor dropped. After all, the aforementioned three games yielded five walks and three hits, including an easy opposite-field homer on Friday.

Rated by MLB Pipeline as the Mariners' No. 2 prospect, Montes is a 6-foot-5, 210-pounder with plus power from the left side of the plate. He invites comparisons to Yordan Alvarez, which are simultaneously a lot to live up to and more or less appropriate. Though Montes is still just 20 years old, he already has a .949 OPS to show for four minor league seasons.

The Cuba native is unlikely to make the big leagues this year, but he should be firmly on Mariners fans' radars for 2026.

What we know about Victor Robles and George Kirby

For anyone who missed it, Robles had to be carted off during the ninth inning of Sunday's game against the Giants after making this incredible catch in right field:

As relayed by MLB.com's Daniel Kramer, Robles dislocated his left shoulder and had it popped back into place by medical personnel at Oracle Park. He then flew back to Seattle with the team, and could be seen with his left arm in a sling during Monday's game.

The Mariners are still awaiting results from an MRI conducted on Robles' shoulder, which will give them a better idea of the severity of his injury. Presumably, a timeline for his recovery will then follow.

For now, the 27-year-old outfielder is on the 10-day injured list and Dominic Canzone is up from Triple-A Tacoma to take his spot on the 26-man roster.

As to more positive news, Adam Jude of the Seattle Times reports that Kirby is "doing great" in his recovery from right shoulder inflammation. Those are the words of Mariners general manager Justin Hollander, though he also noted that the righty probably won't achieve his goal to return before May.

“Late April seems optimistic to me, just given where we are on the calendar, but that’s George,” Hollander said, per Jude. “The benchmarks that we were looking for him to hit was to feel good after his throwing sessions and his ‘pen sessions, and it feels great right now."

Kirby has two bullpen sessions lined up for this week. If those go well, the 27-year-old will be ready for what Hollander referred to as "game situations." That could mean a minor league rehab assignment.

The Mariners don't want to rush Kirby's recovery, but they definitely need him back in the rotation. The two pitchers they've used in his stead (Emerson Hancock and Luis F. Castillo) have combined for a 22.09 ERA in two starts.