Seattle Mariners rival provides update on key injuries as division race continues

The Seattle Mariners have 35 games left this season and are underdogs to make the postseason, trailing the Houston Astros by 4.5 games for first place in the American League West after Houston lost to the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday.

The Mariners are also 6.5 games away from the third AL Wild Card spot.

Seattle may have gotten a little breathing room in its push for the postseason due to recent injury news from Houston.

Astros third baseman Alex Bregman missed his team's Aug. 16-18 series against the Chicago White Sox due to inflammation in his right elbow. He returned Wednesday as the designated hitter for Houston's final series against Boston — but it doesn't look like the injury will go away anytime soon.

According to a tweet from Will Kunkel of Fox 26 Houston, Bregman says he can rely on his elbow from day to day for the rest of the season. Bregman said he had “gremlins” in his elbow that were causing inflammation, according to Kunkel.

“Alex Bregman says the rest of the (season) will be a daily battle for his elbow. He says there are 'gremlins' in the elbow that sometimes cause it to flare up. As for returning to the field, — he's not really sure. Bregman's UCL is fine.”

Bregman has a batting average of .260 with 20 home runs and 60 RBIs this season.

Any injury to a player is unfortunate. But at this point in the season, the Mariners need all the help they can get if they hope to make the playoffs. Houston's next 10 games include series against the Batimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies and Kansas City Royals.

With one of the Astros' best players injured and the team preparing for one of the toughest stretches of the season, there's no better time than now for Seattle to make up ground.

RODRIGUEZ IS ON THE VERGE OF A MAJOR MILESTONE IN HIS RECOVERY: Seattle Mariners franchise cornerstone Julio Rodriguez could return to the outfield as early as the next home game, according to a number of reports. CLICK HERE

MARINERS IN CONFIDENT POSITION AS POST-SEASON APPROACHES: The Seattle Mariners are 5.0 games back in the American League West and 6.5 games out of contention for the third Wild Card spot, a similar position to last season. CLICK HERE

DODGERS SCORES SIX UNANSWERED RUNS AGAINST MARINERS: The Seattle Mariners lost 3-6 to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday after blowing an early lead. CLICK HERE

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