From underwhelming to undermanned, the Mariners’ already limited infield has gone from thin to grim in two short weeks to begin the season.
The latest blow came Thursday, when the club announced rookie second baseman Ryan Bliss will have surgery to repair a torn biceps muscle. He’s expected to be out 4-5 months, and it’s not clear to whom the Mariners will turn at second base in the short term.
There were already real concerns at both corner infield positions, and this devastating week of injuries has stretched the club’s infield depth to the max.
Outside of veteran shortstop J.P. Crawford, the Mariners have uncertainty around the infield, and they are exploring various options, both internal and external, as they look to fortify their depleted depth, per MLB sources with knowledge of the club’s plans.
Where might the Mariners turn now? Would they call up one of their top prospects from Triple-A Tacoma to fill a need? Could they explore a trade?
Here’s look at some of their potential options:
Second base
Short term, the Mariners have the left-handed-hitting Miles Mastrobuoni and switching-hitting Leo Rivas as stopgaps at second base.
Mastrobuoni, a 29-year-old career utility player in his first season with Seattle, got the start Wednesday versus a right-handed starter. He has four hits, two walks and one steal in his first 14 plate appearances this season.
Rivas, 27, recalled from Tacoma to take Bliss’ roster spot Wednesday, is a light-hitting late bloomer who had a .233 batting average with a .607 OPS in his first 86 major-league plate appearances with the Mariners last season. But he’s one of the most dependable gloves the Mariners have on the infield, and his switch-hit ability and solid speed make him useful off the bench.
Long term, Cole Young has been widely regarded as the Mariners’ second baseman of the future.
The Mariners’ first-round draft pick in 2022, Young is just 21 years old, the youngest player on the Tacoma roster and the second youngest on any team in the Pacific Coast League to open the season.
Young has drawn positive reviews throughout his pro career as an advanced hitter with a mature approach.
In his first 11 Triple-A games, Young has seven hits in 41 at-bats, a .171 average, with one double, one triple, six walks, seven strikeouts and a .537 OPS.
Because of his age and his long-term potential, the Mariners are prioritizing Young’s development over the immediate needs of the major-league club, said one source with knowledge of the team’s plans.
As such, a promotion to Seattle is likely not imminent. In other words, he’ll be ready when he proves he’s ready. There is some reasonable expectation that that will happen at some point this season, but a more realistic timeline is sometime later in the summer — perhaps late summer — and it’s possible he might not be ready until 2026.
Third base
Second base remains Dylan Moore’s strongest position, but for right now Moore is the Mariners’ only viable option at third base.
Jorge Polanco, a switch-hitter penciled in as the everyday third baseman coming into the season, has been limited to DH duties as a left-handed hitter since experiencing what the club called “tenderness” in his side on a swing last Friday in San Francisco.
The Mariners began the year with a plan to be conservative with Polanco’s usage early on, and his new issue has led to the club to be even more cautious with him for the time being. And that appears to be the prudent approach given how productive Polanco has been at the plate so far, hitting .370 with a .985 OPS and a team-leading 10 RBI in 27 at-bats.
Manager Dan Wilson used Mitch Garver as a pinch-hitter in Polanco’s place in the eighth inning Wednesday when the Astros brought in a left-handed reliever.
“He still has a little bit of soreness when he swings right-handed,” Wilson said after the improbable 7-6 comeback victory Wednesday. “He continues to get better and better, and we’ll keep monitoring it. But, again, [Polanco is] a bat that we want to keep in the lineup as much as possible.”
Much like Young, the Mariners also have an intriguing third-base prospect knocking at the door in Tacoma.
But unlike Young, the Mariners are at least open to the idea of pushing Ben Williamson a little more aggressively to the big leagues. That doesn’t mean that’s going to happen, but there is more of a possibility compared to Young’s situation.
There are two key reasons for that:
1. Williamson is 24, three years older than Young, who was drafted out of high school. Williamson was drafted in the second round after his senior year of college at William & Mary.
2. Williamson’s defense at third has drawn glowing reviews, and his glove might be good enough to provide positive value to the Mariners and offset questions about his offensive upside at the big-league level.
Whether Williamson proves he’s fully ready for the promotion, the Mariners might be in a position to have to gamble that he could be useful — because that’s what the team’s needs dictate.
Williamson also impressed major-league coaches during his first invitation to Mariners camp this spring, and one National League scout who evaluated Seattle’s prospects suggested Williamson is much more big-league ready than Young.
Another talent-evaluator who has scouted the prospects closely projected Williamson as more of a future major-league utility player with limited power potential.
Through his first 45 Triple-A at-bats, Williamson has 11 hits (.244), with two doubles, no homers, no walks, six strikeouts and a .550 OPS.
First base
With Victor Robles out until at least July with a shoulder injury, part-time first baseman Luke Raley is moving into full-time duties in right field.
That leaves the Mariners with a platoon of Rowdy Tellez and Donovan Solano at first base.
Tellez’s numbers through 23 plate appearances: 1 single, 1 walk, 1 RBI, 7 strikeouts (minus-0.4 bWAR).
Solano’s numbers through 18 plate appearances: 2 singles, 6 strikeouts (minus-0.2 bWAR).
Uff da.
Because they’re veterans with track records, Tellez and Solano figure to get a long(ish) runway to prove they can pick it up at the plate.
In Tacoma, Tyler Locklear is off to a strong start in his second Triple-A season, hitting .323 (10 for 31) with one homer and a .916 OPS. Locklear struggled in his first taste of the majors last season, and at 24 he’s not a young prospect anymore.
There’s a good chance Locklear earns another big-league chance at some point this season. In an ideal scenario, the Mariners would like Locklear to show he can produce consistently in Tacoma, build up some confidence and then come back to Seattle as something closer to a finished product.
The trade market
Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has built a reputation as one of the game’s most aggressive executives when it comes to trades, and that’s been especially true with in-season trades in recent years.
It is, however, highly unlikely that the Mariners would be able to find a trade partner willing to move a proven major-league infielder this early in the season. Most teams — even rebuilding ones — would prefer to see how their roster shakes out for at least the first couple months and then swing a deal closer to the July trade deadline.
If the Mariners do make a move soon, it would probably be a small deal for a veteran infielder playing in the minor leagues somewhere, and one source said the Mariners have been “combing outside rosters” looking for such an option.
Some veterans on minor-league contracts have an “upward mobility clause” they can exercise if they have a chance to sign with another major-league team. Others have opt-out clauses, and many of those kick in on May 1.