Seattle Mariners Outfielder Dealing with Shoulder Injury as Opening Day Nears
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Seattle Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger hasn't been in a spring training lineup since March 8, and on Saturday, we wondered if that meant that the M's were getting ready to move on from him.
It turns out that Haniger is battling some discomfort in his left shoulder, per Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times.
Mitch Haniger has been dealing with some discomfort in his left shoulder, which is why he hasn’t been playing in games recently
— Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) March 15, 2025
Given how transparent the Mariners have been about injuries to Jorge Polanco, George Kirby, Matt Brash, Leo Rivas and Troy Taylor this spring, it seems odd that that we haven't heard about this beforehand, but that's evidently the case.
There's been no word on how this will impact the Haniger or the Mariners moving forward. Owed $15.5 million this year, it's always seemed illogical that the M's would move on from him, but given the glut of outfielders/DH types on the roster, there's not a real clear role for Haniger on the team either.
One of the more productive Mariners in recent memory, Haniger spent five healthy seasons with theMariners from 2017-2022, making the All-Star team in 2018, before coming back in 2024. He hit just .208 with 12 homers last season. He still provides some power, but it will be interesting to see what happens with him moving forward.
The Mariners will continue on with Cactus League play for the next week and a half before returning back home to start the regular season.
The M's will open the season on March 27 at T-Mobile Park with a four-game series against the division-rival Athletics.
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NEW PODCAST IS OUT! Brady is back for another episode of "Refuse to Lose," where he talks about the latest George Kirby injury update, the battle for the final roster spots and more, including Randy Johnson showing up at camp. Also, our Mariners on SI reporter Teren Kowatsch stops by, live from Peoria. CLICK HERE:
MARTINEZ MOVING ON: Seth Martinez, who the Mariners picked up earlier this offseason, is on the move to Miami. CLICK HERE:
MORE TO WORRY WITH KIRBY? Buster Olney of ESPN joined a recent episode of the "Refuse to Lose" podcast and discussed the M's injury situation with George Kirby. CLICK HERE:
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