One Major Question Dictates Many Things For Seattle Mariners in Wake of Big Roster Move
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The Seattle Mariners officially moved on from utility player Dylan Moore on Saturday, designating him for assignment.
While it's technically possible that he could accept an outright assignment to Triple-A Tacoma and eventually return to the 26-man roster in September, it seems unlikely that he'll do so.
With that being said, the Mariners are faced with several interesting questions as the Sept. 1 roster expansion deadline nears.
Let's take a look at them below:
Can Cole Young play shortstop?
In moving on from Moore, the team has no real answer to a backup for J.P. Crawford at shortstop. That is something that will need to be addressed.
Since getting called up to the big leagues on May 31, Young has exclusively played second base. However, he did play 29 games at shortstop for Triple-A Tacoma this season, and he spent 84 games there at Double-A Arkansas in 2024. He has 241 career minor league games at shortstop, compared to just 78 minor league games at second.
How the organization feels about his ability to play shortstop moving forward, even in a pinch, dictates what happens next.
How about Leo Rivas?
If the organization doesn't think that Young can play shortstop, then Rivas is an obvious candidate. He plays shortstop, second base, and can fill in at third, and he plays excellent defense overall. Furthermore, he runs well, and can steal a base in the same way that Moore did.
He's also a switch-hitter, which could help neutralize the M's issues against lefties. He's having an excellent year at Triple-A Tacoma, hitting .307 with a .463 on-base percentage. He had a .411 OBP for the Mariners in 60 at-bats earlier this season.
How about Miles Mastrobuoni?
If the organization thinks that Young can play shortstop, then Mastrobuoni becomes an even more attractive option. With the Mariners most of this season, he can play second base and third base, and can appear in left and right field. He's a solid contact hitter who can also drop a bunt down.
He runs well, but not as well as Rivas or Moore. However, he's also left-handed, which would give the M's a complete roster redundancy. That said, he's a capable veteran that the organization can count on, and he's hitting a respectable .248 at the season.
It should be noted that Mastrobuoni has begun playing shortstop at Tacoma, and they could be prepping him for that ultra-utility role in the big leagues as well. While he won't be as good there as Rivas, is he at least passable at the position in a pinch?
YOUR PLAY OF THE NIGHT!!!
— Tacoma Rainiers (@RainiersLand) August 24, 2025
HAHN TO MASTROBUONI TO PACKARD! pic.twitter.com/IjNe12kue4
How about Harry Ford?
Perhaps an outside the box idea, this could work out well for the Mariners as well. Mitch Garver and Cal Raleigh typically both start against left-handed pitchers. Because of that, the M's are reluctant to take Garver out of games late, even when right-handers come in, because they don't want to risk losing their backup catcher.
Could they add Ford, and have him as the third catcher, giving them the freedom to pinch-hit for Garver in these situations? It's certainly a possibility.
The Mariners enter play on Sunday at 69-61 and they'll take on the A's again at 1:10 p.m. PT.
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