Mariners are on a collision course with an awkward roster logjam

With Victor Robles and Luke Raley nearing their MLB returns, the Seattle Mariners are heading towards an interesting roster logjam.

The Mariners will soon have three capable right-fielders on the team. With Dominic Canzone playing well, it's hard to take his bat out of the lineup. However, both Raley and Robles were valuable in 2024 and have battled injuries in 2025. Is it fair to bring back Robles and Raley to sit on the bench in September?

At the end of the day, it is a good problem to have. The idea that a team could have too many good players might sound foreign to Mariners fans. For so long, they balanced roster construction with saving money. It led to inconsistent lineups that were backfilled with minor leaguers and journeymen.

Now, it's the opposite. The Mariners' lineup feels complete. It's full of major league talent, and every player is pulling his weight. The returns of Robles and Raley will complement the lineup further, but how will they get any at-bats?

Mariners have a classic 'good problem to have' brewing

Perhaps it begins with a right field platoon, with Canzone taking reps against right-handed pitching and Robles stepping in against left-handed pitching. It likely means Robles would not play much, but perhaps that's not a bad idea. He hasn't played since April, so rust is a real concern with him.

Where does that leave Raley, though? He moved to first base last year when Robles broke out during the summer months, but that's no longer an option for him now that the team has traded for Josh Naylor. Raley could play first base occasionally, but a platoon wouldn't make sense, as both he and Naylor bat left-handed. Donovan Solano is also still on the roster and has played exclusively first base this year.

The DH spot could also be utilized to get players their at-bats, but it's mostly filled. Jorge Polanco has been hitting well, and Cal Raleigh also needs to get at least one DH game per week.

Polanco could shift to second base full-time, which would open up the DH spot for one of the outfielders, but where does that leave Cole Young? His bat has been heating up and his defense is better than Polanco's already. Is it worth it to take the team's young, improving prospect out of the everyday lineup to make room for a slightly better bat?

Here is what it ultimately boils down to: Between RF, 1B, DH, and 2B, the Mariners will soon have seven players battling for four spots in the lineup.

The simplest answer might just be to take each player's season OPS+ and play the four guys with the highest mark each night. That would put Canzone (137 OPS+) in right field, Polanco (127 OPS+) and second base, Naylor (123 OPS+) at first base and Raley (103 OPS+) at DH.

Is that really fair to Young, however? He's had a slightly below average OPS+ of 98, and plays better defense than Polanco. Perhaps it makes sense to keep Polanco at DH and keep Young at 2B. That effectively ices Raley out of the lineup. He's only played 49 games this year, but he has an above-average bat that has produced a 123 OPS+ since 2023.

Robles would also be getting a sour deal in this scenario. He played just 10 games before his injury at San Francisco. He hit .307 in a career year in 2024, and it's hard to bring him back in September just to sit him on the bench because of a bad week in April.

The best answer is that there is no right answer. Dan Wilson might be best to ride with whoever is swinging the hottest bat at the time. If Canzone stays hot, keep him in. If he starts to slump, give Robles a shot. If Polanco slumps, try Raley at DH. Or if Young slumps, move Polanco to second base. Again, it is never a bad thing to have too many good players.