Mariners Activate Julio Rodriguez, Designate Miles Mastrobuoni
The Mariners announced that outfielder Julio Rodriguez has been activated from the seven-day concussion injured list. Utilityman Miles Mastrobuoni was designated for assignment in the corresponding move, which both opens up a 26-man roster spot for Rodriguez and leaves Seattle with 39 players on its 40-man roster.
It has been a little over two weeks since Rodriguez was placed on the IL, after he was hit in the helmet by a Nolan Schanuel throw on July 2. The All-Star break provided some extra time for J-Rod to recuperate, and he’ll now return to his usual spot in center field.
It’s been a streaky year for Rodriguez, whose .259/.323/.424 slash line over 378 plate appearances was generated by a red-hot May sandwiched between mediocre performances in April and June. A .350 xwOBA that’s above his .327 wOBA suggests that better days are ahead on offense, though Rodriguez’s center field defense has been uncharacteristically average.
Mastrobuoni began the season on the 60-day injured list due to a calf strain suffered while playing for Italy at the World Baseball Classic. Upon being activated from the 60-day IL, he has now played 13 games with Seattle while twice being designated for assignment. The previous DFA last month saw Mastrobuoni clear waivers and get outrighted to Triple-A, which now means that Mastrobuoni has the ability to reject any future outright assignments in favor of free agency.
Because Mastrobuoni is out of minor league options, he’ll likely face this DFA/waivers/outright dance several more times whether he stays with the Mariners or opts into free agency. Another team might be interested in the utilityman as versatile bench depth who can play pretty much anywhere on the diamond, though Mastrobuoni has hit only .228/.293/.271 over 477 career PA with the Rays, Cubs, and Mariners over his five MLB seasons.
Mariners Place Julio Rodríguez On Concussion IL
The Mariners announced that outfielder Julio Rodríguez has been placed on the seven-day concussion injured list. Infielder/outfielder Miles Mastrobuoni has been selected to take his place on the roster. Right-hander Cooper Criswell has been transferred to the 60-day IL to open a 40-man spot for Mastrobuoni. Daniel Kramer of MLB.com was among those to note earlier that Mastrobuoni was in the clubhouse with Rodríguez likely bound for the concussion IL.
Rodríguez’s injury occurred in last night’s game, as seen in this clip from Baseball Savant. He was on first base in the bottom of the first inning when Dominic Canzone hit a chopper to first baseman Nolan Schanuel. Schanuel spun and tried to get the force at second but the throw hit Rodríguez in the back of the helmet. After the ball caromed into shallow center field, Rodríguez got up and ran to third. He stayed in the game for a bit but was removed in the top of the third.
Kramer later revealed that Rodríguez was going through concussion protocol. His full timeline isn’t clear but it seems the club has decided to could use at least a week off. Even if he’s ready to return in a week, the All-Star Break starts a week from Monday, so perhaps the club will play things cautious and just keep him on the shelf until after that.
This is the fifth year that Rodríguez has been a staple of the Seattle lineup. He is having yet another good campaign, with a .259/.323/.424 line, 115 wRC+ and 12 stolen bases. Though his defensive grades aren’t as strong this year, he has still racked up 1.9 wins above replacement already, in the eyes of FanGraphs.
For at least the next week, the Mariners will have to live without that production. Víctor Robles replaced Rodríguez in center field in last night’s game and is starting there tonight as well. Robles is hitting .233/.273/.260 on the year, so the lineup will surely be weaker for the time being.
The rest of the roster doesn’t really have much in the way of center field capability, so Mastrobuoni has been added to give the club some cover there. He was just bumped off the roster last month but cleared waivers and stayed in the system. That allowed him to get added back today.
Mastrobuoni is just a .230/.295/.273 hitter in his big league career but he has experience at every position on the diamond except catcher. He hasn’t played center field in the big leagues but has logged time there in the minors. Luke Raley has 171 big league innings in center and could be another option there. Weston Wilson has one center field inning on his track record. Randy Arozarena has also spent some time in center but not since 2024. If Rodríguez or other players get healthy in the near future, Mastrobuoni is out of options and would need to be bumped off the 40-man if he is squeezed off the active roster.
As for Criswell, he landed on the 15-day injured list on June 9th, with his injury initially described as a shoulder strain. One week later, Kramer relayed that Criswell had a Grade 1-plus pectoral strain and wasn’t expected back until around the August 3rd trade deadline. This transfer means he can’t be officially reinstated from the IL until a few days after that trade deadline.
Photo courtesy of Steven Bisig, Imagn Images
Mariners Outright Miles Mastrobuoni
The Mariners announced that infielder/outfielder Miles Mastrobuoni cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A Tacoma. He had been designated for assignment by Seattle last week. He does not have three years of big league service time nor a previous career outright, so he does not have the right to reject this assignment in favor of free agency.
Mastrobuoni, 30, is in his fifth season as a glove-first utility guy. He began his big league career with the Rays in 2022, was traded to the Cubs prior to the 2023 season, and then to the Mariners prior to the 2025 campaign. His .230/.295/.273 batting line isn’t much to look at but he has stolen 22 bases and lined up defensively at every position on the diamond except for catcher and center field.
For Seattle, Mastrobuoni spent the 2025 season getting shuttled between Triple-A and the big leagues, as needed. He exhausted his final option in the process. That put him on the roster bubble coming into 2026. He suffered a calf strain in March while playing for Italy in the World Baseball Classic. He began the season on the IL and stayed there until June 10th. He then got into eight games and slashed .217/.269/.217 before the Mariners designated him for assignment.
Though Seattle squeezed Mastrobuoni off the roster, they are likely glad to keep him as non-roster depth. They currently have Brendan Donovan and Will Wilson on the injured list, cutting into their position player group a bit. If another injury pops up, Mastrobuoni could get some consideration, though he may be at a disadvantage now that he’s off the roster. Patrick Wisdom, Ryan Bliss, Leo Rivas, Connor Joe and Brennen Davis all have 40-man spots and are currently on optional assignment. Mastrobuoni will qualify for minor league free agency at season’s end if not added back to the roster.
Photo courtesy of Rafael Suanes, Imagn Images
Mariners Designate Miles Mastrobuoni For Assignment, Select Weston Wilson
The Mariners have selected the contract of infielder/outfielder Weston Wilson. Fellow infielder/outfielder Miles Mastrobuoni has been designated in a corresponding move. Prior to the official announcement, Adam Jude of The Seattle Times noted Wilson was in the clubhouse. Daniel Kramer of MLB.com indicated Mastrobuoni would likely be designated for assignment to make room.
Kramer suggests the swap is related to the fact that the Mariners are slated to face a bunch of lefties. The Red Sox are scheduled to start southpaws Ranger Suárez, Connelly Early and Payton Tolle this weekend. Seattle’s regular lineup is mostly filled with lefty bats, including J.P. Crawford, Josh Naylor, Dominic Canzone, Luke Raley, Cole Young and Colt Emerson. Righties Connor Joe and Rob Refsnyder are on the bench but Joe has a .189/.302/.324 line this year while Refsnyder is at .143/.214/.242.
Mastrobuoni and Wilson are both multi-positional types but the former hits from the left side and the latter the right. The 31-year-old Wilson has a .240/.331/.413 line in 291 plate appearances from 2023 to 2026, a line that translates to a 108 wRC+. That breaks down as a .248/.351/.456 line and 124 wRC+ against southpaws compared to a .229/.302/.352 line and 83 wRC+ in the other half of the split.
Defensively, Wilson has big league experience at every position on the diamond except for shortstop and catcher. Though he’s never played short in the big leagues, he has spent a decent amount of time there in the minors. He should give manager Dan Wilson a good amount of flexibility in trying to get through this gauntlet of lefties. He was with the Orioles earlier this year but got bumped from that club’s roster, allowing Seattle to sign him to a minor league deal this week.
After this Boston series, the Mariners play the Pirates, who have an all-righty rotation. Wilson is out of options, so perhaps he is in line for a short stay on the roster if the M’s want to shuffle things up again in a few days. Then again, Joe is still optionable and has been struggling, so sending him down could be another possibility.
Optimizing the roster will cost Mastrobuoni his spot. The 30-year-old is in his fifth big league season, having previously spent time with the Rays and Cubs. He was acquired by the Mariners in a cash deal in February of 2025 after being designated for assignment by Chicago. He has generally been a serviceable but light-hitting bench guy. From 2022 to 2024, he hit .231/.296/.276 in 447 plate appearances but played all four infield positions and the outfield corners.
He has barely gotten going this year. He started the season on the 10-day injured list due to a right calf strain. He was later transferred to the 60-day IL. He was activated a little over a week ago. He has a .217/.269/.217 line in 27 plate appearances since then.
Mastrobuoni exhausted his final option year in 2025, leaving him now out of options. He might have started the season on the roster bubble but the IL placement allowed him to technically linger in the mix for almost half the season, but he has now been bumped off.
DFA limbo can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the M’s could take as long as five days to explore trade interest. If he were to clear waivers, he would stay in the system as non-roster depth. He doesn’t have a previous career outright and is shy of three years of service, so he wouldn’t have the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency.
Photo courtesy of Rafael Suanes, Imagn Images
Mariners Place Matt Brash On IL With Lat Strain
The Mariners announced a series of roster moves today. Infielder/outfielder Miles Mastrobuoni has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list and right-hander Domingo González has been recalled from Triple-A Tacoma. In corresponding active roster moves, infielder Ryan Bliss has been optioned to Tacoma while right-hander Matt Brash has been placed on the 15-day injured list with a lat strain, retroactive to June 9th. To open a 40-man spot for Mastrobuoni, righty Yosver Zulueta has been designated for assignment.
This is the second time this year that Brash has landed on the IL because of his lat. Inflammation in that muscle put him out of action for roughly the first three weeks of May. He came back for a few weeks but has evidently strained the muscle this time. The M’s haven’t yet provided any updates about his expected absence but it seems fair to expect an even longer absence than when he was just dealing with inflammation.
For however long he’s out, it’s an unfortunate blow for the Seattle bullpen. He has been a key setup arm for them throughout his career, with a 3.06 earned run average in 185 1/3 innings. That includes an ERA of 0.54 ERA in 16 2/3 innings around his injuries this year. He wasn’t going to maintain that kind of run prevention all year but his longer track record shows what he is capable of.
Seattle is working with a short bullpen since they are running a six-man rotation right now, leaving them with just seven relievers while most other clubs have eight. The one upside of Brash’s injury is that it allows the M’s to bring up a fresh arm at a time when the relief group is fairly taxed. Andrés Muñoz, Jose A. Ferrer, Eduard Bazardo and Gabe Speier have all pitched in two of the past three days.
Zulueta, 28, has never pitched for the Mariners in the big leagues. He was acquired from the Reds in January and has been on optional assignment this year. He has thrown 20 1/3 Triple-A innings with a 5.75 ERA. That has come in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League but Zulueta hasn’t helped himself by walking 16.3% of batters faced. His 21.4% strikeout rate isn’t awful and his 56.9% ground ball rate is quite good but that poor control is hard to work around in any setting.
That has generally been the issue with Zulueta throughout his career. He has big stuff, with his fastballs both averaging in the upper 90s, but he hasn’t been able to harness it. He now has 203 1/3 Triple-A innings under his belt with a 3.94 ERA and 26.9% strikeout rate but a big 14.3% walk rate. He has only walked 10.9% of batters faced in the majors but in a much smaller sample of 23 2/3 innings.
He is now in DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Mariners could take as long as five days to explore trade interest, but they could also put him on waivers sooner than that. He can still be optioned for the remainder of this year, so perhaps some club with an open roster spot will be intrigued enough to stash him and hope he reins things in a bit more.
He has never been outrighted in his career and has less than three years of service time, meaning he does not have the right to reject an outright assignment. If he is passed through waivers unclaimed in the coming days, the Mariners could keep him as non-roster depth.
Photo courtesy of Jeff Curry, Imagn Images
Mariners Place Brendan Donovan On IL, Select Will Wilson
8:33pm: Emerson is battling wrist soreness in Triple-A, manager Dan Wilson told reporters (including Adam Jude of The Seattle Times). There’s no indication the team is concerned about the issue, but that played a role in their decision not to promote him yet. The M’s also don’t anticipate Donovan missing much time, so it made more sense to tab Will Wilson if they’re only looking for a short-term utility stopgap.
4:25pm: The Mariners announced that they have selected the contract of infielder Will Wilson. He will take the active roster spot of infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan, who has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a left groin muscle strain, retroactive to April 18th. To open a 40-man spot, infielder/outfielder Miles Mastrobuoni has been transferred to the 60-day injured list.
Donovan was removed from Friday’s game due to a left hip issue. He didn’t play on Saturday or Sunday. He had previously dealt with a right groin issue earlier in the season. Per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com, Donovan believed it was possible that his earlier groin discomfort may have been related to the sports hernia surgery he underwent back in October.
That surgery didn’t prevent Donovan from being one of the hottest trade chips of the winter. Several clubs were interested and Seattle eventually landed him in a three-team trade that saw them send out infielder Ben Williamson, prospects Jurrangelo Cijntje and Tai Peete, as well as a competitive balance round B pick.
Donovan was a particularly good fit for the Mariners roster because of his defensive versatility. Coming into this year, it wasn’t clear what would happen at second or third base, with Cole Young and Colt Emerson possible solutions at those positions. Young has taken over at second and has been playing well so far. Emerson, despite signing a long contract extension, has been in the minors. That has left Donovan to cover third and he has a strong .304/.437/.518 line when he has been able to take the field.
It’s not clear how long the Mariners expect Donovan to be out but they’ll have to proceed without him for more than a week, at least. They could have called up Emerson but have decided not to, at least for now. He is playing well for Tacoma but is still only 20 years old and only has 24 games at Triple-A under his belt, so it seems they have decided to keep him there.
Leo Rivas has picked up the past two starts at third base with Donovan out. He has a rough .143/.295/.184 line on the year but a better .217/.348/.278 slash for his career. A switch-hitter, he has been far better against righties, with a .221/.372/.305 line in that split compared to a .210/.304/.235 line versus lefties.
Wilson, 27, is a right-handed bat but hasn’t had strong splits throughout his career. In much of his minor league career, he’s actually been better against righties, so he’s not an ideal platoon bat for Rivas. He might just be more of a general depth infielder off the bench. He has plenty of minor league experience at the three infield positions to the left of first base, and some limited outfield experience as well.
His major league track record is still fairly small. He got into 31 games with the Guardians last year and slashed .192/.267/.244. His upper level minor league work hasn’t been much better, though his Triple-A line of .250/.333/.430 since the start of 2025 isn’t bad. He has options and could be sent back down to Tacoma once Donovan and/or Patrick Wisdom come off the IL.
As for Mastrobuoni, he started the season on the 10-day IL with a right calf strain. He began a minor league rehab assignment on April 8th and played as recently as the 18th. His current status is unclear but he must have suffered some sort of setback, since he’s now ineligible for reinstatement until late May.
Photo courtesy of David Frerker, Imagn Images
AL West Notes: Pena, Mastrobuoni, Crawford, Neto
Jeremy Pena provided The Athletic’s Chandler Rome with an update on the fingertip fracture that has put Pena’s Opening Day availability in question. The Astros shortstop has been able to partake in most baseball activities, with just throwing and swinging with both hands remaining on the checklist before he can consider a return to game action. Pena has played in four Spring Training games and two World Baseball Classic games with the Dominican Republic, and it remains to be seen how much more prep time he’ll need once he is cleared to play.
“If I get into a game and I feel like my swing is ready to go, then that’s all I need,” Pena said. “For me, it’s a feel thing. Maybe it takes me five games, maybe it takes me three, maybe it takes me one.”
It would appear as though Pena should at least be able to get into some games before the Cactus League is over, even if it remains unclear whether or not he’ll need (what may be a minimal) 10-day injured list stint to begin the season. A fuller re-evaluation of Pena’s status is still a couple of days away, though Rome writes that the shortstop felt good enough to postpone a planned doctor’s appointment.
More from around the AL West…
- Mariners utilityman Miles Mastrobuoni is dealing with a minor calf strain that cut short his participation on Italy’s team in the World Baseball Classic. Mastrobuoni is now back at the Mariners’ camp, and he told the Seattle Times’ Tim Booth that while he doesn’t feel his strain is too serious, he didn’t want to risk further aggravating the injury: “I just really don’t want to deal with this, having it nag throughout the year.” Given the timing, Mastrobuoni (who is out of minor league options) might begin the season on the 10-day injured list to allow him to both fully recover and ramp up for regular-season play.
- Staying in Seattle, J.P. Crawford has been bothered by a sore right shoulder for much of camp, and the shortstop hasn’t played in any of the Mariners‘ last four games. Despite the absence, Crawford isn’t worried about his readiness for Opening Day, telling the Seattle Times’ Ryan Divish and other reporters that the team was just being cautious. Since the M’s have a off-day tomorrow, Crawford will get another full day of rest and rehab before making his planned return to Seattle’s lineup on Tuesday.
- The Angels received a scare when Zach Neto picked up a left hand injury while sliding into home plate yesterday, but the shortstop told reporters (including Jeff Fletcher of the Southern California News Group) that tests revealed only a small hand sprain. Neto believes he’ll be back in action after just a few days. A critical piece of the Halos’ lineup, Neto has hit .253/.318/.458 with 49 homers and 56 steals (translating to a 115 wRC+) over 1156 plate appearances in 2024-25, despite undergoing a November 2024 shoulder surgery that delayed his 2025 debut until mid-April. Another left hand strain ended Neto’s 2025 campaign in late September.
Mariners Infield Notes: Donovan, Emerson, Bliss
Much of the focus in Mariners camp will be on the infield. Seattle’s biggest offseason moves — re-signing Josh Naylor and trading for Brendan Donovan — addressed two spots. They lost a couple infielders, Jorge Polanco and Eugenio Suárez, to free agency. It’s the biggest area of turnover on what might be the American League’s best roster.
Naylor and J.P. Crawford are locked into first base and shortstop, respectively. Donovan will be an everyday player. He’s a solid defender at second base and can handle the corner outfield as well, though his below-average speed means he fits better on the infield. Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times writes that Donovan’s early work with infield coach Perry Hill has come at third base.
That’s the simplest solution in the short term. Suárez and Ben Williamson, who was traded to Tampa Bay in the three-team Donovan deal, took the majority of the playing time last season. Of the five players who started games at third base in 2025, only Miles Mastrobuoni remains in the organization. Donovan didn’t get any work at the hot corner last year but logged 269 2/3 innings there between 2022-24. Although defensive grades aren’t especially meaningful in that small a sample, he has above-average marks from Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average.
Donovan’s primary role will largely be determined by the progress of younger players around him. Cole Young had a brutal finish to his rookie season, but he remains the favorite to start at second base. Young is a former first-round pick who hit .279/.388/.432 in the minors and is entering his age-22 season. He remains a very promising young player even though he’s not technically a prospect anymore.
20-year-old shortstop Colt Emerson is even more highly regarded. The 2023 first-round pick combined for a .285/.383/.458 batting line with 16 homers and 14 steals over 600 plate appearances across three minor league levels. Emerson walked at a near-12% clip while striking out less than 18% of the time. He spent the majority of the season in High-A but ripped through Double-A to earn a late-season cameo at Triple-A Tacoma. He played six games there in the final week of the regular season.
Emerson is a consensus top 10 overall prospect at Baseball America, The Athletic, ESPN and MLB Pipeline. The likeliest outcome is that he opens the season at Tacoma with an eye towards a midseason promotion. It’d be a surprise if Emerson breaks camp, but the Mariners aren’t completely closing the door on that as Spring Training opens. “It’s not out of the question that he earns a spot on the team,” president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto told reporters on Thursday (link via Daniel Kramer of MLB.com). Dipoto praised Emerson’s well-rounded skillset and maturity.
The probable Opening Day infield lines up as Naylor, Young, Crawford and Donovan from right to left. Emerson could get consistent reps against Triple-A pitching while building reps at third base, where he has 111 1/3 innings of professional experience. He’s the heir apparent at shortstop when Crawford hits free agency next winter but presumably wouldn’t push the veteran off the position this year. If Emerson has a monster Spring Training that forces the club’s hand, Donovan could kick back to second base and potentially move Young to Triple-A. That shouldn’t be an issue even if Donovan doesn’t play any second base during Spring Training given his ample work at the position.
Last year’s season-opening second baseman, Ryan Bliss, hasn’t gotten as much public attention. Bliss is older and not nearly as highly regarded as Young and Emerson, so that’s natural, but he’s a former second-round pick who hit .269/.377/.456 with 12 homers and 50 stolen bases in Triple-A in 2024. He unfortunately didn’t get much of an opportunity to solidify himself at the MLB level.
Bliss ruptured his left biceps on a swing two weeks into the regular season. He underwent surgery that came with a 4-5 month rehab timeline. Bliss returned to minor league game action in September and had an impressive week in Triple-A. He may well have reclaimed the second base job from Young to close the regular season had he not sustained a meniscus tear in his right knee that required season-ending surgery. Kramer writes that Bliss is back to full health this spring.
It’s a deep infield that’ll only become more crowded whenever Emerson earns the call. Bliss has a couple minor league options remaining. Leo Rivas also has an option but reached base at a .387 clip in 111 plate appearances last season and made the team’s playoff rosters. They flip-flopped Mastrobuoni and Luke Raley as the last hitter off the bench in October.
They’re both out of options, and it’s difficult to see Seattle carrying both players into the season if all their hitters get through camp healthy. They’ll need bench spots for backup catcher Andrew Knizner and righty platoon bat Rob Refsnyder. Keeping Mastrobuoni and Raley would require them to option both Bliss and Rivas before even considering an Emerson promotion. Dipoto acknowledged the likelihood that someone gets squeezed out at the end of Spring Training, conceding the front office may “have to make some uncomfortable short-term decisions.”
Looking At The Mariners’ Internal Infield Options
At the end of the 2025 season, the Mariners lost three infielders to free agency, as each of Josh Naylor, Jorge Polanco and Eugenio Suárez hit the open market. That left shortstop J.P. Crawford as the only lock for the 2026 infield. The M’s quickly pounced to bring Naylor back, signing the first baseman to a five-year, $92.5MM deal not long after free agency began.
Reuniting with Polanco and/or Suárez still seems to be on the table but second and third base are open for now. What options do the Mariners have in the system at present? Let’s take a look at the possibilities.
Young is a former first-round pick, with the M’s taking him 21st overall in 2022. He came into 2025 as a consensus top 100 prospect. He was promoted to the big leagues at the end of May and primarily played second base. He eventually took 257 trips to the plate but produced a tepid .211/.302/.305 line, which translates to a wRC+ of 80.
That’s obviously less than ideal but there are some reasons for optimism. Young’s 10.9% walk rate and 18.3% strikeout rate were both strong. His .247 batting average on balls in play was more than 40 points below league average. His average exit velocity of 87.6 miles per hour was subpar but his max exit velo of 114.1 mph was in the top 10% of major league hitters. Perhaps he can tap into that premium velo a bit more as he gets more exposed to big league pitching. He hit .277/.392/.461 for a 120 wRC+ in Triple-A prior to his promotion, so perhaps his uninspiring major league debut was just a blip.
One year after taking Young, the M’s were selecting one pick later in the first round. They used the 22nd overall pick in 2023 to grab Emerson. He had a big rise in 2025, playing 90 games in High-A, followed by 34 in Double-A and six in Triple-A. Between those three levels, he took 600 trips to the plate and slashed .285/.383/.458 for a 129 wRC+. He also stole 14 bases while primarily playing shortstop, plus a few games at third.
Emerson is now a consensus top 15 prospect in the whole league. His Triple-A experience is still minimal and he’s only 20 years old but the Mariners would presumably have at least some willingness to carry him on the Opening Day roster. MLB teams are generally more willing to do that with top prospects these days because of the PPI benefits. The M’s carried 21-year-old Julio Rodríguez on their roster throughout 2022. When he won Rookie of the Year, that netted the M’s an extra pick in 2023. That allowed them to select outfielder Jonny Farmelo just seven picks after taking Emerson.
The M’s presumably won’t just hand a job to Emerson. He will have to earn it in spring. Theoretically, he could take over third base in 2026. Crawford is slated to be a free agent a year from now, at which point Emerson could potentially move over to short. It’s also possible that Felnin Celesten is more of a factor by then. Celesten is considered a better shortstop defender than Emerson but he hasn’t reached Double-A yet.
Bliss was a second-round pick of the Diamondbacks who came to the Mariners in the 2023 deadline deal which sent Paul Sewald to the desert. His 2025 season was marred by injury. First, a torn left biceps required surgery in April. He began a rehab assignment in August but then suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee. Due to that missed time, he has a .214/.287/.367 line in just 110 big league plate appearances over the past two seasons.
His minor league track record is naturally better than that. Bliss has 739 Triple-A plate appearances with a .260/.365/.453 line and 105 wRC+. He’s also huge threat on the bases with at least 50 steals in the minors in both 2023 and 2024. He has lots of minor league experience at both middle infield positions. He never had the same prospect hype as Young or Emerson but the speed and defense could make him a valuable player with even league average offense.
Williamson was a second-round pick in 2023. He generally put up good minor league numbers but with a pesky contact-based approach and very little power. He got into 85 big league games this year and hit .253/.294/.310 for a wRC+ of 76. There could be more in the bat but Williamson is lauded more for his glovework. Statcast only had him as average in the field this year but he was credited with eight Defensive Runs Saved.
Arroyo, 21, was an international signing out of Colombia and is now a consensus Top 100 prospect. In 2025, he got into 65 High-A games and 56 Double-A contests. Between those two levels, he slashed .262/.401/.433 for a wRC+ of 139. He has a bit of experience at third base and shortstop but was kept exclusively at second base in 2025. Since he hasn’t yet played at the Triple-A level, it’s probably a bit of a reach for him to crack the Opening Day roster, but he might have an outside chance. Even if Opening Day is out of the question, a midseason promotion would be a possibility.
Leo Rivas/Miles Mastrobuoni/Samad Taylor
These three are more in the part-time or utility bucket. Rivas can draw walks but has little power. He can play the three infield spots to the left of first base as well as the outfield corners. He could be on the bench but he also has an option remaining. Mastrobuoni’s minor league profile is somewhat similar but he hasn’t hit in the majors and is now out of options. Taylor has just 83 big league plate appearances and is also out of options. He has big wheels and can also play the outfield, so he could be a nice bench piece who comes in for pinch running and/or defensive substitute opportunities.
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Put it all together and it puts the Mariners in an interesting position. They are clearly in win-now mode. They just finished their fifth straight winning season. They won the West for the first time in over 20 years. They came achingly close to a World Series berth. The Astros and Rangers seem to be dealing with payroll issues. The A’s have some promise but still need to build a pitching staff. The Angels have lots of questions to be answered. The division is there for the Mariners to take.
That should arguably tilt them towards going for established big leaguers such as Polanco or Suárez or whoever else. On the other hand, there’s a chance Emerson is a future star who is ready to go. If he struggles in the spring, Williamson at least gives them a glove-first floor as a fallback. At second base, the M’s could leave it open for Young, Bliss and Arroyo to duke it out. Between the three, they would only need one of them to step forward and seize the job.
In an ideal world, a utility player who can also move to the outfield would make a lot of sense, so perhaps the M’s will make a spirited pursuit of Brendan Donovan. He could play second or third if the younger guys don’t take those jobs. If they do, he could move into the corner infield mix with Victor Robles, Dominic Canzone and Luke Raley. If that also got too crowded, the designated hitter spot is fairly open at the moment. Free agents like Willi Castro or Amed Rosario would be less-exciting versions of the Donovan pick-up.
RosterResource has the club slated for a $151MM payroll in 2026. That’s about $15MM below the $166MM they had at the end of 2025. President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto recently said that next year’s payroll would probably be in a similar range to the prior season. Like all teams, they could use some pitching upgrades, so it will be fascinating to see how much of their remaining resources they use on the infield.
Photo courtesy of Joe Nicholson, Imagn Images
Mariners Add Bryan Woo, Miles Mastrobuoni To ALCS Roster
The Mariners announced the 26 players who will be part of their American League Championship Series roster against the Blue Jays. After using a complement of 14 pitchers and 12 position players against the Tigers in the ALDS, the M’s will use an even 13 pitchers and 13 position players to navigate their series with Toronto. The full list…
Catchers: Harry Ford, Mitch Garver, Cal Raleigh
Infielders: J.P. Crawford, Josh Naylor, Jorge Polanco, Leo Rivas, Eugenio Suarez
Outfielders: Randy Arozarena, Dominic Canzone, Victor Robles, Julio Rodriguez
Utility player: Miles Mastrobuoni
Left-handed pitchers: Caleb Ferguson, Gabe Speier
Right-handed pitchers: Eduard Bazardo, Matt Brash, Luis Castillo, Logan Gilbert, Emerson Hancock, Luke Jackson, George Kirby, Bryce Miller, Andres Munoz, Carlos Vargas, Bryan Woo
The biggest story is Woo’s return, as the right-hander hasn’t pitched since suffering pectoral tightness in a start against the Astros on September 19. Woo’s ramp-up work didn’t quite allow him to be ready for Seattle’s ALDS roster, but president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said on Friday after the Mariners’ Game 5 clinch that Woo would likely be part of the roster against Toronto.
Dipoto specified that Woo wouldn’t be available until closer to midway through the series, which would seemingly line him up for a start in Game 4. Because Gilbert and Castillo were both needed in the 15-inning finale against Detroit, the Mariners’ rotation plans over the first two ALCS games in Toronto are very much up in the air. Miller will start Game 1 on short rest and it can be assumed that Kirby will start Game 3 on regular rest, but it remains to be seen if Castillo and/or Gilbert will be involved in Game 2, and in what capacity.
Woo takes the roster spot of rookie infielder Ben Williamson, who didn’t see any action in the ALDS (and hasn’t played in a big league game since July 30). Williamson’s inclusion on the ALDS roster was largely as a hedge against Josh Naylor potentially missing time on paternity leave, so the Mariners wouldn’t be left short-handed in terms of infield depth. As it happened, Naylor played in all five games against Detroit and was still able to welcome his first child into the world.
Seattle’s other change comes on the bench, with one left-handed utilityman in Mastrobuoni replacing another in Luke Raley. Mastrobuoni doesn’t have Raley’s offensive upside, but brings more to the table in pure versatility. Raley can play first base and all three outfield positions, but Mastrobuoni saw work at both corner outfield slots and at first base in 2025, as well as time as a second and third baseman. Essentially, Mastrobuoni’s inclusion allows the Mariners to replace Raley and Williamson in one fell swoop. Raley came off the bench in four games of the ALDS, with one hit-by-pitch over six plate appearances.