Seattle Mariners Lineup: A few differences against lefty

By Source / May 2, 2026

The Seattle Mariners’ lineup for Friday’s homestand opener is a change of pace compared to what they usually roll out against a left-handed starting pitcher.

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Here’s what the lineup looks like for the 6:45 p.m. game with the Kansas City Royals:

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Now let’s dig into what’s different about it.

Most notable is the absence of Rob Refsnyder, who is known for his ability to hit lefty pitching. The 35-year-old Refnsyder, who typically is in the leadoff spot as either the designated hitter or in the outfield when the M’s face a left-hander, last played on Monday. Manager Dan Wilson said Friday afternoon that Refsnyder is day-to-day but did not give a specific reason.

With Refsnyder out of the lineup, backup catcher Mitch Garver is the designated hitter and hitting sixth in the batting order, and Connor Joe gets the start in right field and hits eighth against Royals southpaw Cole Ragans. Shortstop J.P. Crawford, who has been leading off against right-handed starters with third baseman Brendan Donovan on the injured list, will hit first.

The other notable difference with the lineup is second-year second baseman Cole Young is hitting seventh for the fourth time this season. He has generally hit either eighth (18 games) or ninth (11 games) this year. Young has been enjoying a strong start to the season with a .286/.357/.420 slash line for a .777 OPS, and he is fourth in all of MLB with 1.9 bWAR.

All-Star Bryan Woo (3.86 ERA, 1.057 WHIP) is set to make his seventh start of the season for the Mariners.

Mariners Radio Network coverage on Seattle Sports will begin at 5:30 p.m. Friday with the pregame show. The TV broadcast will be exclusive on Apple as part of the streaming service’s Friday Night Baseball series.