3 bold internal moves to jumpstart Mariners' uneven offense

Luis Urias' sporadic playing time and struggles should force the front office to opt for him to go to Tacoma. 

The 2024 Tacoma Rainiers have an interesting roster filled with utility players. Jason Vosler, Michael Chavis, Ryan Bliss, Samad Taylor, and the newly acquired Jake Slaughter (80-grade baseball name) can all play multiple positions. Servais loves to have guys on the bench who can wear various gloves. With Haggerty, Moore, and Rojas, he has three of them on the 26-man roster right now. 

I'd put Luis Urias in that grouping, but he needs to perform even remotely close to their level to stay on the roster. An offseason acquisition who was supposed to platoon with Rojas at the hot corner, Urias is running a .187/.304/.683 slash line. While the OPS looks good, it is inflated because Urias has flashed some surprising pop (6 XBH) in 25 games. 

The 27-year-old infielder started slow this spring due to an offseason shoulder injury and never really caught fire. Granted, it's hard to pick up steam offensively when Josh Rojas gets most of the at-bats. But the truth is, as long as Rojas and, to an extent, Dylan Moore continues to hit, Urias doesn't have a spot on this team, and when looking at the bench construction, the skillset needs to be more varied. 

The team should call up Vosler because he can play both corners and right field in a pinch. A lefty-swinging utility man can also bring a power component to the bench, a la Mike Ford. Sending Urias to Tacoma to get everyday at-bats could allow him the opportunity to gain some traction and possibly rejoin the team later this season for the stretch run. 

While we'd all love for the front office to make an early-season trade to acquire Pete Alonso or some other proven veteran bat, there are moves the team can make before they unload the farm. It's time to make the tough calls because the 2024 American League West crown is there for the taking.