Projecting best possible Mariners lineup upon Cal Raleigh, J.P. Crawford returns

Believe it or not, there are reasons for the Seattle Mariners to be optimistic as they return home following a road trip from hell. Best of all, Cal Raleigh and J.P. Crawford are coming back to rescue a lineup that is fresh off getting torn asunder by the injury bug.

According to Daniel Kramer of MLB.com, Crawford is on track to be activated on Tuesday after a stint on the IL with a hand contusion. It's not a given that Raleigh will also be back, but "all signs [are] pointing" to the 2025 AL MVP runner-up returning from a strained oblique on Tuesday as well.

Ideally, Randy Arozarena and Josh Naylor will also be available for Dan Wilson. They were among the many, many casualties of Seattle's 4-6 road trip through Detroit, Baltimore and Washington D.C., but both are "day-to-day" with hamstring and shin injuries, respectively.

The Mariners' optimal lineup features a whole bunch of changes

If all goes well, Wilson will only be a Brendan Donovan short of a full deck of options when he sits down to set his lineup for Tuesday's home game against the Orioles. And since a lot has changed since Raleigh went on the IL on May 14, it's a good time for a new look.

Thus we propose:

1. Cole Young, 2B (L)
2. J.P. Crawford, 3B (L)
3. Julio Rodríguez, CF (R)
4. Cal Raleigh, C (S)
5. Randy Arozarena, LF (R)
6. Josh Naylor, 1B (L)
7. Dominic Canzone, DH (L)
8. Luke Raley, RF (L)
9. Colt Emerson, SS (L)

The Right Place(s) for J.P. Crawford

Before he went on the IL, Crawford had everyday roles at shortstop and in the leadoff spot. He was solid in at least one of those, giving the Mariners a .396 OBP and nine of his 10 homers when batting out of the No. 1 slot.

But since he was kinda-sorta-very bad at shortstop, we're ready to rip the Band-Aid off and have Crawford make good on his offer to move to third base. Nobody has any idea how he'll play there, but the risk is worth it if it means having Emerson at shortstop.

While Crawford was out, Young put up a .405 OBP in the leadoff spot. So, might as well ride the hot hand, while also hoping that Crawford's unexpected power surge is put to better use in the No. 2 hole. It would be easy enough to switch things up against a lefty starter, with Crawford moving into leadoff and Young dropping down to his customary No. 8 spot.

The Right Place for Cal Raleigh

There's also another reason why Wilson should be willing to experiment with Crawford in the No. 2 spot: Historically, neither Julio (.736 OPS) nor Raleigh (.765 OPS) has hit especially well there.

The risk of dropping them down in the order is that it could mean fewer at-bats for both. However, it'll be worth it if Young and Crawford give them more action with runners on base — especially for Raleigh, who has as many career homers with men on as he does with the bases empty.

Batting Julio and Raleigh in this order also allows Wilson to separate his two big right-handed bats, which is key in a lineup with this many left-handed regulars.

How to Handle the Lefties

As for those lefties, Naylor batting behind Arozarena has been and should continue to be the norm. The big change is below them, where Canzone and Raley are flipped.

Because Canzone has a .913 OPS to Raley's .806 OPS, this is another hot hand play. Canzone is also less of an automatic out against lefties. He's posted a better OBP against them than against righty pitchers in each of the last two seasons, whereas Raley's .237 career OBP against lefties says it all.

On days when a lefty starter is on the mound, Wilson can and should plug in righty bats in Canzone's and Raley's spots. The only twist we have is that Rob Refsnyder should not be one of them. Victor Robles provides better right field defense and frankly a better bat at this point, and Mitch Garver's .802 OPS against lefties simply can't be ignored.

It perhaps should be hard to sell a lineup with this many changes, but it's not. Because when a team with this much talent is somehow only 37-36, the status quo has clearly exhausted its usefulness.

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