Ryan

Bliss

Rosenthal reported that the Mariners believe “they are positioned to handle second base internally with Dylan Moore and Ryan Bliss’ but Young could get a look at some point during the season. The 21-year-old played the entire season at Double-A this past year, slashing .271/.369/.390 with nine home runs, 23 steals, just a 15.8 percent strikeout rate, and a 12.1 percent walk rate. The 21st overall pick in the 2022 draft seems likely to start 2025 at Triple-A and could push for MLB at-bats with a strong start to the season.

Bliss slugged a two-run homer in Friday night’s victory over the Mets, but the M’s needed to free up a spot on their active roster for the return of Julio Rodríguez on Sunday and he was deemed expendable. He’ll return to an everyday role at Triple-A until another need arises at the big-league level.

Bliss gave the Mariners a 2-0 lead with a two-run blast off Jose Quintana, and that’s all Seattle would need with Bryce Miller and the bullpen shutting the Mets down. Bliss now has two homers in his limited time in Seattle with a slash of .222/.290/.397. He isn’t worth a fantasy roster spot now, but there’s some long-term upside in his profile; mainly because of his speed.

The 23-year-old infielder has hit .220/.292/.356 with a homer, seven RBI and five stolen bases in 67 plate appearances with the M’s so far this season. He’ll add speed off the bench for the Mariners and provide infield depth while Jorge Polanco continues to battle a knee issue. Cade Marlowe was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma in a corresponding move on Wednesday.

Bliss hit .220 with one home run and seven RBI in 31 games in his first taste of the majors. The 24-year-old also stole five bases, though he was caught stealing three times as well. Bliss hit .283 in his first 20 games, but went ice cold in his last 11 games going 0-for-13 with seven strikeouts. He’ll get regular at-bats at Triple-A and wait for another chance in the majors.

Polanco has not been off to a good start in 2024, hitting just .195/.293/.302 this season. He will seemingly replace Ryan Bliss at second base even though Bliss is hitting .295/.354/.477 in 18 games in June with one home run and four RBI. Perhaps Polanco won’t have a long leash, but it seems like he’ll be back in the starting lineup this week. Tyler Locklear was sent to Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Bliss also scored a run. The 24-year-old rookie has picked up six hits in his seven at-bats against Miami in the series, and that’s helped improve his slash to .283/.353/.457. The question now becomes what Seattle does with Bliss when Jorge Polanco (hamstring) comes off the injured list, and what kind of role he’d serve if he did stay on the roster. Based on what he’s done in the majors, he deserves playing time, but Seattle will want him to get regular at-bats somewhere.

Bliss’s .238/.319/.381 line through 49 plate appearances isn’t particularly remarkable, but that’s actually an above average OPS+ for a Seattle hitter in 2024. He’s going to have a case for sticking around after Jorge Polanco returns, which could happen this weekend.

With the Mariners facing left-hander Logan Allen, Locklear will play first base and Ty France will be at designated hitter with Luke Raley sliding to the bench. The Mariners kept Locklear on the roster with France being activated, so it appears Locklear will be in the starting lineup against left-handed pitchers moving forward. The Mariners will also start Victor Robles in left field and Ryan Bliss at second base with Dominic Canzone and Josh Rojas moving to the bench against a lefty.

The 30-year-old second baseman is only expected to need a couple of games to get his timing back before he’s cleared to return to the Mariners’ lineup. Expect him back early next week, which will severely impact the playing time for Ryan Bliss, who has been filling in at second base over the past few weeks.