2 Mariners fumbling Opening Day roster spots, 2 who could take advantage

Especially when compared to recent seasons, there isn't a whole lot of drama as to which 26 players the Seattle Mariners are going to break camp with at the end of March. Barring any injuries, the club's 26-man roster for Opening Day has been written in ink for a while now.

But since it has been a weird spring — i.e., a bad spring by way of a 3-9 record in the Cactus League — there could be some surprises in the end. With this in mind, let's look at two players who have loosened their grips on roster spots, and two who could take advantage.

2 Mariners players losing their grips on Opening Day roster spots

2B Cole Young

The Mariners are so high on Young as their second baseman of the future that they balked at trading him for Ketel Marte over the winter. And coming into spring training, the unofficial message from the team is that he would have to struggle to lose his grip on a job.

Yet that is what is happening. Though Young has drawn four walks and hit a long home run, he is just 2-for-15 with seven strikeouts at the plate. He is 0-for-7 against four-seam fastballs, which is unfortunately a variation on a theme from his rookie season in 2025.

To his credit, Young has looked much better in the field. But if he doesn't get his bat going, him starting the year with Triple-A Tacoma may be in the cards.

RHP Casey Legumina

There are eight spots to fill in the bullpen, and seven of them seemed to be locked down. The eighth belongs to Legumina basically by default. He's out of minor league options, so the Mariners would have to designate him for assignment if he doesn't make the Opening Day roster.

Even so, this is a guy with a 6.03 ERA in the majors who hasn't been lighting up spring training. He's made three appearances so far, giving up two runs on two hits and a walk in 2.2 innings. And all that against not even Triple-A-caliber competition.

Early last year, it looked like Legumina was going to be the next coming of Paul Sewald in Seattle. But that just hasn't panned out. He looks more like an org depth piece than a viable major league reliever.

2 Mariners who could take advantage of Opening Day roster changes

INF Miles Mastrobuoni

"Colt Emerson" is surely the name Mariners fans want to see here, but let's pump the brakes on that. He may be MLB Pipeline's No. 9 prospect, but he's only 4-for-21 this spring. That's not exactly a good excuse to get an early start on his arbitration clock.

Including Mastrobuoni would be the more straightforward play. He's always had a versatile glove, and he's brought a good bat to spring training to the tune of a 4-for-15 line that includes three extra-base hits. He's even hit the ball at a solid average of 92.5 mph.

Even more to the point, Mastrobuoni is out of options. If the Mariners are going to have to DFA him eventually, it might make sense to wait until after he helps buy Young or Emerson time to get ready for The Show.

RHP Cole Wilcox

If the Mariners decide to go with someone other than Legumina in the bullpen, they'll have options. They have eight relievers stashed on their 40-man roster, and Emerson Hancock could be another option if the team is comfortable shifting him off a role as a reserve starter.

Wilcox, though, has simply had the best spring out of the bunch. He has yet to be scored on in three outings, striking out four while allowing one hit and one walk apiece. He's averaged over 97 mph on his four-seamer and sinker, and those are coming out of an intimidating 6-foot-5 frame.

There's an interesting back story here, as Wilcox is a former third-round pick who was once in a trade centered on Blake Snell. That pedigree is obviously dated by now, but some degree of talent is still there.