Randy Arozarena is back in the leadoff spot for the Mariners on Monday night, and he arrives there swinging one of the hottest bats in Seattle’s lineup. The club opens a three-game set against the Phillies with Arozarena at the top for the third straight game after he launched three homers over the Mariners’ last two games.
Seattle is still without Brendan Donovan, who was hit in the head while warming up in the batting cages before Saturday’s win over the Cubs. Donovan was placed on the 7-day concussion injured list Sunday, retroactive to Saturday.
The Mariners’ order behind Arozarena has Dominic Canzone in right field, Julio Rodíguez in center, Josh Naylor at first, Cal Raleigh behind the plate, Cole Young at second, Weston Wilson at third and Brock Rodden at shortstop.
One familiar name is missing from the lineup: J.P. Crawford. The Mariners’ longest-tenured player has been dealing with left wrist inflammation, has been on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma and was scheduled to be evaluated Monday by the team’s training staff for possible activation.
Seattle’s opponent is bringing one of the game’s toughest arms to the mound in Zack Wheeler. The Phillies ace and three-time All-Star enters with a 2.92 ERA, a 1.01 WHIP, 144 strikeouts in 120 1/3 innings and a 10-4 record across 21 starts.
The Mariners counter with Logan Gilbert, who has been steady all season and is trying to extend his run of success. The 29-year-old right-hander is 10-7 with a 3.35 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP over 150 1/3 innings in 25 starts, and he’s working on a third straight win. Seattle has gone 5-1 in his last six starts.
Bryan Woo’s return is now lined up for Wednesday’s series finale. After his scheduled start was pushed back on Saturday, the right-hander is expected to take the ball against Philadelphia, according to Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times.
Woo last pitched on Aug. 16 against the Astros, when right shoulder soreness forced him out after 75 pitches. In 24 starts this season, the Cal Poly product is 9-8 with a 4.10 ERA, a 1.08 WHIP and 137 strikeouts against 29 walks over 138 1/3 innings. If everything holds, he’ll be matched up with Phillies left-hander Jesús Lazardo.
Seattle also made a roster move Monday involving Jhonathan Díaz. The left-hander cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Tacoma after being designated for assignment on Saturday, when the Mariners brought up top pitching prospect Kade Anderson for his first career start.
Díaz made his season debut Thursday and gave up one run on two hits while striking out one in 1 1/3 innings. Since 2024, he has appeared in seven games and made one start for Seattle, logging a 4.38 ERA with 10 strikeouts and three walks across 12 1/3 innings.
In Other News...
Mariners Just Took A Brutal Colt Emerson Hit
Colt Emersons season has come to an abrupt end with wrist surgery, a tough blow for a Mariners prospect who had been part of the organizations broader infield picture. He is on the 10-day injured list now, and the club plans to move him to the 60-day injured list, a procedural step that gives Seattle some roster flexibility while it waits out the final stretch of the season.
The Mariners are still juggling the infield around J.P. Crawfords impending return, so Emersons absence lands at an awkward time for the depth chart. Even so, the team is expecting him back in time for spring training next year, which at least gives Seattle a clear target as it tries to absorb a painful setback and keep the bigger picture intact. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners May Need A Roster Shakeup After Deadline Bat Disappoints
Taylor Ward was supposed to give Seattle a much-needed jolt after the trade deadline, but the early returns have been rough. Limited by leg soreness and still trying to find his timing, Ward has hit just .136 since joining the Mariners, a stretch that has done little to settle the clubs outfield picture or answer the lineup questions that led to the move in the first place.
Meanwhile, Lazaro Montes has kept forcing his way into the conversation with a huge season in the minors, including 37 home runs and a strong OPS at Triple-A Tacoma. With roster expansion on September 1 looming, the Mariners have a possible path to shake things up if they decide the bat they need is already in the organization, even though no official move has been made yet. [Read more 🡒]
Kade Andersons Mariners Debut Put One Pitch Under Immediate Scrutiny
Kade Andersons first big league start came with the kind of close inspection that follows any top Mariners prospect the moment he reaches Seattle, and the attention only intensified once he was asked to work 5.2 innings and allow three earned runs in his debut. Promoted straight from Double-A, Anderson stepped into a new level where every pitch gets judged not just by results, but by how it moves, how it spins and whether the stuff that played so well in the minors still looks the same under major league lights.
One layer of that adjustment is the baseball itself. The majors use a different ball than Double-A, with changes in composition and stitching that can alter pitch movement, including spin and vertical break, and pitchers making that jump often see subtle changes right away in how their offerings carry or finish. For a young arm like Anderson, that makes his first outing less of a verdict than a starting point, with one pitch in particular now under the kind of scrutiny that can shape the conversation around his next turn. [Read more 🡒]