How does a key Mariners injury affect the rest of the infield?

The injury bug bit the Mariners already this spring, with Matt Brash and Luis Urias looking like they are going to start the season on the injured list. Matt Brash was the most-used pitcher in baseball last year, so it goes without saying that his injury could be a costly one. But today, Luis Urias was penciled in to become the starting 3rd baseman for the Mariners. Should he start the season on the injured list, what does that mean for the rest of the infielders?

Luis Urias currently is being held out of game action with Shoulder Inflammation. According to Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times, He is currently playing catch from about 70 feet away, and only throwing lightly. That signals that Urias is still far away from any real game action, who will step up to replace Urias at third base on Opening Day?

Luis Urias is already injured for the Mariners

If Urias should start the year on the IL, or even spend significant time on the IL, that is good news for one of Dylan Moore, Sam Haggerty, and non-roster invitee Brian Anderson. I recently wrote about some players who could lose their 40-man roster spot, and one of those players was Dylan Moore. That narrative changes with Urias on the shelf.

Ryan Divish also said that Urias showed up to camp in "Less than stellar shape" after a poor performance in the Mexican Winter League. Urias hit just .177/.300/.282/.582 in 24 games down in Mexico, which does not look good. Showing up in bad shape, and injured? Not a very good first impression in Seattle for Luis.

Who could replace Urias? As I mentioned above, Dylan Moore, Sam Haggerty, and Brian Anderson all will look to compete with Josh Rojas. There was even a video going around on Twitter that showed Ty France working at third base. Ryan Divish seemed to throw water on that idea.

Now, should the Luis Urias experiment fail, it is not the end of the world. The Mariners traded RP Isaiah Campbell to get him, but that was all. While I like Campbell, trading a reliever for a starting third baseman is almost always a good idea. The problem now is that the Mariners will seem to have a revolving door at third base, something they have not seen in over a decade with the stalwarts of Kyle Seager and Eugenio Suarez.

Hopefully, Urias gets healthy and only misses a little time. The Mariners have a few guys who can play in his stead, and there is still a member of the "Boras 3" out there who plays a mean third base. While I hope the best for Luis Urias, He has some work to do to get fans excited about him starting at third base. So far, I am not impressed. As always, Go Mariners!