The Mariners on Friday made their lineup deeper and their bench shallower.
They added Josh Naylor to the active roster and optioned Miles Matrsobuoni to Tacoma. The moves come a day after the Mariners acquired Naylor in a trade with the Diamondbacks. The Mariners could have moved on from the severe struggles of Donovan Solano or Dylan Moore. Instead, they optioned Mastrobuoni and raised a number of questions about how the lineup will operate going forward.
Naylor is a lefty first baseman with large handedness splits (144 wRC+ vs. RHP; 88 wRC+ vs. LHP). The Mariners have used a platoon at first base all year, with Rowdy Tellez and Luke Raley against RHP and Solano against LHP.