Mariners' 2026 Opening Day roster is light on surprises, heavy on news

The Seattle Mariners have revealed their 26-man roster for their 2026 opener against the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday. Nobody who followed the team through spring training will be surprised by it. Those who didn't will notice who's not there.

The Mariners had two spots open up by way of injuries to J.P. Crawford (sore right shoulder) and Bryce Miller (left oblique inflammation). Those were likely to be filled by Ryan Bliss and Emerson Hancock and, yup, there they are.

The other story of note is Mitch Garver in the backup catcher spot behind Cal Raleigh. He basically stole the job from Andrew Knizner, who the Mariners signed to a major league deal months before they circled back and re-signed Garver on a minor league deal.

As per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com, Knizner cleared waivers and has elected free agency. The Mariners are still on the hook to pay his $1 million salary, which now becomes dead money.

Mariners' Opening Day roster sets injury timelines for J.P. Crawford, Bryce Miller

As for Crawford and Miller, the two of them and utility man Miles Mastrobuoni (right calf strain) are beginning the 2026 season on the injured list. It's the 10-day IL for Crawford and Mastrobuoni and the 15-day IL for Miller. All three IL placements are retroactive to March 22.

Crawford and Mastrobuoni could be activated as soon as April 1, while Miller will be eligible to come off on April 5. It is not a given that any of the three actually will be rostered as soon as possible, mind you. And since he's out of minor league options, there's the question of whether Mastrobuoni could be designated for assignment if there isn't a spot for him.

Thankfully, there would seem to be tailwinds at Miller's back. The righty threw a bullpen session on Monday in which he got up to 98 mph with his fastball. According to Kramer, he's still in Arizona and his next steps are to face live hitters and then pitch in games.

Also per Kramer, Dan Wilson said Wednesday that Crawford has started a throwing program and that he will take part in minor league spring training games in Arizona:

This is the first time since 2019 that Crawford won't be starting for the Mariners at shortstop on Opening Day. It figures to be Leo Rivas in his place, and arguably the most notable thing about this is that the Mariners didn't choose Colt Emerson.

To be perfectly candid, we were hoping Emerson would be the choice in a wishcasting sort of way once it became clear that Crawford's shoulder wasn't going to heal in time for Thursday's opener. But pushing that button had the potential to create complications once Crawford got healthy. They can't both play shortstop, after all.

Whatever the case, the Mariners' Opening Day roster feels decidedly temporary. We won't go so far as to say this is the worst shape their roster will be in all year, but… well, let's just say it won't be lacking for much once Crawford and Miller are back.