Mariners’ Troubling Spring Development Is Fueling A New Opening Day Question

Victor Robles is probably not in danger of losing anybody’s trust over a bad March. Spring numbers can get weird in a hurry, and the Mariners know exactly what kind of player they have when he’s on. But this is still becoming a real concern, because Robles looks stuck.

Through his first 24 spring at-bats, Robles is slashing just .083/.120/.083 with two hits, one walk, and six strikeouts. And when you pair that with the shoulder soreness that kept him out for six days, it becomes fair to wonder whether this is more than a random spring funk. Shannon Drayer reported that Robles returned to the lineup after that layoff and was expected to resume outfield work the following week if the shoulder checked out fine.

Victor Robles’ Slow Spring Changes The Shape Of Seattle’s Outfield Conversation

There is still a very real chance this is just spring training being spring training. A cranky shoulder can mess with timing in a hurry, and Robles has had the kind of stop-and-start camp that makes it tough to ever feel fully locked in. Miss several days, get dropped back into game action, and now you are trying to rebuild rhythm while everybody is staring at the stat line. That is not some wild excuse. It is a pretty believable way for a rough spring to snowball.

But the Mariners also cannot just wave it off forever if this drags into the regular season. If Robles is compromised at all, even slightly, it changes the shape of the outfield conversation in a practical way contenders have to think at the beginning of a season. Seattle built this roster with moving parts for a reason, and if one of those parts starts sputtering, the fallback options matter quickly.

Dom Canzone and Luke Raley are the obvious names to think about, but neither one really solves the specific problem if the Mariners are looking for help against left-handed pitching. Canzone owns a career .221 average and .607 OPS against lefties, while Raley has hit just .178 against them with a .528 OPS in 192 plate appearances.

That makes Rob Refsnyder an interesting name in this discussion, even if it still feels a little early to push the idea too hard.

Refsnyder was brought in to mash left-handed pitching. He’s also played extensively in the corner outfield and has handled all three outfield spots in the past. More importantly, he has done exactly the thing Seattle’s lefty-heavy outfield group does not do especially well. Refsnyder slashed .312/.407/.516 against lefties during his four seasons with Boston, and in 2025 alone he hit .302 with a .959 OPS against southpaws.

We’re not suggesting the Mariners are about to bench Robles and hand Refsnyder a bigger role. That would be a stretch, especially this early, and especially with Brennen Davis having his own loud spring. But it does mean the roster equation gets more interesting if Robles’ shoulder remains even a mild issue, or if this rough stretch at the plate lingers long enough to force the team into more matchup-based decisions.

If Robles is healthy and this is just ugly timing, the Mariners will live with it and move on. But if the shoulder is still bothering him, and if that is bleeding into the quality of his at-bats, then Seattle may have to lean more heavily on a group that suddenly looks a lot more specialized than flexible.