SEATTLE – The Seattle Mariners announced their 26-man roster for the American League Division Series on Saturday morning.
Mariners announce ALDS roster, which has some surprises
Most notably, All-Star right-handed pitcher Bryan Woo is not on the roster as he continues to rehab from inflammation in his pectoral muscle. Also, there were a pair of interesting additions in rookie third baseman Ben Williamson and rookie catcher Harry Ford.
Wilson addressed the team’s ALDS roster decisions during a pregame press conference ahead of Game 1 on Saturday night.
M’s being ‘cautious’ with Woo
The Mariners will be without their top starting pitcher for the ALDS, as the team ultimately determined that Woo wouldn’t be able to make it back in time from his pectoral issue.
Wilson said Woo recovered well from his bullpen session on Thursday and hasn’t experienced any setbacks. But Wilson said the Mariners are taking a “cautious” approach with the 25-year-old right-hander, who exited early from his Sept. 19 start in Houston due to pectoral tightness.
“Obviously a tough decision and one that we weighed very carefully,” Wilson said. “We just felt like he had made strides as we had hoped and got to a place, but it just looked like it wasn’t going to be able to (work) in this series. So I think doing the more cautious thing and making sure he gets healthy to where he needs to be.”
Wilson said the Mariners are hopeful Woo could return to pitch in the American League Championship Series, if the team advances past the Tigers.
“That’s the hope, for sure,” Wilson said. “He’s continuing to progress as we had hoped, and up until this point it’s gone pretty smoothly. No setbacks. And I think as long as that continues, I think we’ll probably be in good shape at some point in the ALCS.”
How does Woo’s absence impact Miller’s role?
As the fifth starter in the Mariners’ rotation, Bryce Miller was expected to move to the bullpen for the postseason. But with Woo not on the ALDS roster, Miller could be called upon to make a start.
George Kirby is Seattle’s Game 1 starter and Luis Castillo will start Game 2. Logan Gilbert seems likely to start Game 3 in Detroit on Tuesday, but the Mariners haven’t yet made a formal announcement. That could leave Miller in line to start a potential Game 4 on Wednesday.
“Obviously, the hope was that we were going to have Bryce in the bullpen,” Wilson said. “So we’ll just have to kind of weigh that versus whether or not he’s going to have to start down the line. So we’ll keep looking at it and keep watching it as we go.”
The back-end roster decisions
There were a pair of somewhat surprising additions to the 26-man roster in Williamson and Ford.
Williamson gives the Mariners some extra corner infield versatility in case first baseman Josh Naylor goes on paternity leave. According to The Seattle Times, Naylor and his wife are expecting the birth of their first child, whose due date is Saturday.
Williamson, a stellar defensive third baseman, hit .253 with a .604 OPS in 85 games with Seattle this season before being optioned to Triple-A Tacoma when the Mariners acquired slugging third baseman Eugenio Suárez at the trade deadline.
In the event Naylor is unavailable, Williamson could play third base and allow Suárez to move over to first base. Suárez played three games at first base this season.
“It’s obviously a possibility and it’s something to think about for sure,” Wilson said of the need to make contingency plans for Naylor potentially being unavailable at some point in the series. “And you have to sort of weigh as much of this as you can, all the unexpecteds.
“And again, it did play a factor, but obviously having balance on your bench was big, and having Benny here was a big part of that.”
Ford, meanwhile, gives the Mariners a third catcher behind MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh and backup Mitch Garver. Ford’s presence on the roster provides Seattle the flexibility to use Raleigh or Garver as a designated hitter.
“It does provide a lot of flexibility and gives you the ability to pinch-hit a little bit more and be more versatile with that and not putting yourself at risk, so to speak, with having that catcher out of the game,” Wilson said of carrying three catchers. “So that’s been a big luxury.”
More on the Seattle Mariners
• Seattle Mariners rolling out familiar lineup for Game 1 of ALDS
• FOX’s Adam Amin: Seattle Mariners aren’t a ‘cute story’ anymore
• Seattle Mariners’ Kirby to start ALDS Game 1; Castillo gets Game 2
• Seattle will have to deal with some ‘Mariners killers’ in Tigers’ lineup
• Lefko: How Seattle Mariners’ ALDS vs Detroit Tigers will be won
