The Seattle Mariners announced on Mar. 25 that J.P. Crawford, Bryce Miller, and Miles Mastrobuoni will begin the season on the injured list as they finalized their roster for Opening Day against the Guardians at T-Mobile Park.
This marks the first time in seven seasons that Crawford, a longtime shortstop and clubhouse leader, will not be part of the Mariners’ Opening Day roster due to right shoulder inflammation. The team also placed pitcher Bryce Miller on the 15-day injured list with a left oblique strain he has been recovering from for nearly four weeks. Utility player Miles Mastrobuoni is sidelined with a right calf strain sustained during his participation in the World Baseball Classic for Team Italy.
Each player’s stint on the injured list is retroactive to Sunday, making Crawford and Mastrobuoni eligible to return as soon as April 1, while Miller could return by April 6. However, it remains uncertain if any of them will be ready by those dates. All three players are continuing their rehabilitation in Arizona.
“Those guys will continue their rehab process down there until the Minor League guys have left for their seasons,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said before Wednesday’s workout at T-Mobile Park. “At that point, we’ll kind of reassess and figure out what the plan is.”
With Crawford unavailable, Leo Rivas is expected to start at shortstop on Opening Day and may hold that position through at least the first homestand depending on Crawford’s recovery progress. Wilson said: “Although we will miss J.P., I think Leo will do a great job filling in.”
In other roster moves, catcher Andrew Knizner cleared waivers and elected free agency after losing out to Mitch Garver for backup catcher duties during Spring Training.
The injuries have prompted adjustments across several positions heading into opening week as Seattle looks to manage early-season absences.
