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Could Seattle Mariners' injuries hasten prospect callups?

Published

9 months ago

April 12, 2025

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Could Seattle Mariners' injuries hasten prospect callups?

The Seattle Mariners’ infield was already a question mark heading into the season.

After a brutal stretch of injuries, it’s now a major concern.

Debuting new torpedo bat, Cal Raleigh makes Mariners history

Second baseman Ryan Bliss needs surgery to repair a torn biceps and is expected to be out four to five months. Switch-hitter Jorge Polanco, who was slated to be the team’s everyday third baseman, is dealing with a sore oblique that’s limited him to a left-handed designated hitter role.

And with right fielder Victor Robles expected to miss at least 12 weeks with a shoulder injury, Luke Raley is moving from a part-time role at first-base into an everyday role in right field.

With their infield depth stretched thin, could the Mariners accelerate their timeline for calling up highly touted second baseman Cole Young and third baseman Ben Williamson from Triple-A Tacoma?

Mariners insider Shannon Drayer, who was asked that question Friday on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy, doesn’t expect the organization to adjust its plans for either of the two prospects. With Young and Williamson each having spent just two weeks at the Triple-A level, Drayer thinks the Mariners will remain careful not to rush their development.

“I don’t think anybody is going to be rushed – and certainly not at this point of the season – because of what’s going on right now,” Drayer said. “You still have time to give them time, which I’m sure nobody wants to hear right now, but it’s kind of the reality of the situation.

“So I don’t think that we see them right away. I think we see them when they’re ready. … (And) I don’t think either are there right now, so I don’t think that would be an option.”

Young, a 2022 first-round high school draft pick, is MLB Pipeline’s No. 46 overall prospect and Baseball America’s No. 53 overall prospect. At just 21 years old, he opened the season as the second-youngest player in the Pacific Coast League, according to Baseball America.

Known for his smooth left-handed swing and advanced bat-to-ball skills, Young hit .271 with nine home runs and a .759 OPS in 124 games at Double-A Arkansas last year. But he’s gotten off to a slow start at Triple-A Tacoma, batting just .178 with one triple, two doubles and a .569 OPS in 45 at-bats.

Drayer thinks sometime around midseason would be a reasonable point for Young to make his MLB debut.

“These guys coming up – especially your higher-round picks, the guys that you have been touting for a long time – you don’t want them to come up and struggle or fail. … This could be your future second baseman here. You’re going to bring him up at the right time.”

Williamson, a 2023 second-round pick, is a top-15 prospect in Seattle’s farm system according to both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America. The 24-year-old third baseman is known for his elite defense, which he’s already showcased with multiple highlight-reel plays at Tacoma this season.

Williamson doesn’t have much power, with just four homers in 148 career minor-league games. But he does have a .282 batting average in the minors, including a .286 average with three doubles and a .661 OPS in 49 at-bats at Tacoma this season.

Drayer said Williamson’s bat will ultimately determine when he arrives in Seattle.

“Ben Williamson could come up tomorrow and win a Gold Glove at third base,” Drayer said. “That’s probably a little bit of a stretch, but he can be that good from what the scouts are saying, and we certainly saw evidence of that in spring training.

“But if he’s not hitting, that’s gonna affect his fielding as well. So they want to be careful with these guys.”

Listen to the full conversation with Mariners insider Shannon Drayer at this link or in the audio player near the middle of this story. Tune in to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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Seattle Seahawks’ home, road opponents set for 2026 season

Published

6 hours ago

January 4, 2026

Press Room

Seattle Seahawks’ home, road opponents set for 2026 season

Patrick Mahomes and 2025 MVP candidate Drake Maye are set to make trips to Lumen Field to face the Seattle Seahawks next season.

The Seahawks’ nine home and eight road opponents are now set for the 2026 campaign. They will face what on paper will be a tough slate after securing the NFC West title this year, which means they will take on the reigning division champions from the NFC North, NFC South and AFC East in addition to their home-and-home series with their NFC rivals and matchups against each team from the NFC East and AFC West.

The numbers behind Seattle Seahawks’ defensive masterpiece vs 49ers

The full schedule with dates for games has yet to be released. The NFL typically unveils the following season’s schedule in May.

Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs and Maye’s New England Patriots coming to town are among the highlights of the Seahawks’ 2026 slate. They could also be in line for a reunion with former coach Pete Carroll, as a trip to Las Vegas to face the Raiders is on the docket. However, the Raiders are not expected to keep Carroll for a second season.

Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald is in line to square off with one of his former mentors when Seattle hosts Jim Harbaugh’s Los Angeles Chargers. Harbaugh was the head coach at the University of Michigan when Macdonald was the defensive coordinator in 2021. Harbaugh is also the dad of Seahawks special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh.

Seattle has three trips to the east coast next season where they will face the reigning NFC East champion Philadelphia Eagles, reigning NFC South champion Carolina Panthers and Washington Commanders. The Seahawks also faced the Panthers and Commanders on the road this season.

Here’s a full look at Seattle’s 2026 home and away opponents.

Home

• Arizona Cardinals
• Los Angeles Rams
• San Francisco 49ers
• Chicago Bears
• New England Patriots
• Los Angeles Chargers
• Kansas City Chiefs
• Dallas Cowboys
• New York Giants

Away

• Arizona Cardinals
• Los Angles Rams
• San Francisco 49ers
• Carolina Panthers
• Las Vegas Raiders
• Denver Broncos
• Philadelphia Eagles
• Washington Commanders

Find more info on how each team’s opponents are chosen here.

More on the Seattle Seahawks

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• Stacy Rost: Seattle Seahawks show their fatal flaw may not matter
• The 5 biggest plays that delivered Seahawks’ win over 49ers

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Seattle, WA

Seattle’s Defense Wanted To Show It Was The ‘Best Defense In The NFL With Dominant Win

Published

18 hours ago

January 4, 2026

Press Room

Seattle’s Defense Wanted To Show It Was The ‘Best Defense In The NFL With Dominant Win

Santa Clara—When Seattle’s defense stepped on the field for the Week 18 matchup against the 49ers, they had a few goals in mind, winning was of course one of those, but they wanted to show everyone watching they are the best defense in the league.

“We made up our mind that we were going to be the best defense in the NFL,” linebacker Uchenna Nwosu said. “We were going to show the world tonight and that’s what we did.”

As has been the case for the entire season, the Seahawks’ defense was once again a highlight in their 13-3 win. The Seahawks won, in part thanks to a dominant performance by the defense that held the San Francisco 49ers to just three points. The last time Kyle Shanahan’s offense was held to just three points was in his 49ers head coaching debut in 2017. Since then, San Francisco has scored at least 6 points in every game, until Saturday.

Coming into Saturday’s game, the 49ers were riding a three-game streak of great performances by its offense. Throughout all three of those games, San Francisco was averaging 42.3 points per game, 455.3 yards per game and 29.3 first downs per game.

Seattle’s defense held San Francisco to just 53 rushing yards, which included 21 yards from quarterback Brock Purdy, 127 yards through the air, a lone field goal, and just nine first downs. They also picked off Purdy once, sacked him three times and forced the 49ers to punt four times.

“They’re a tremendous offense,” head coach Mike Macdonald said following the game. “Probably top whatever in the league and have been doing it for a long time. They have great players, they have great coaches, and the numbers back it up. Our guys played great complimentary football today. They really did. I can’t say enough, but I can’t wait to watch the tape. There’s a lot of assists going on in there, guys rushing unselfishly to free somebody else up or to let somebody else have a two-way go so they can cover for them. How we played in the back end, it felt like we were ahead of plays. These guys did a great job. I’m looking forward to watching it.”

Christian McCaffery, one of San Francisco’s top offensive playmakers in both the run and passing game was held to his lowest rushing yards all season with 23 yards through the night and his fourth lowest receiving yards with 34.

Nick Emmanwori who had a team high seven tackles, as well as a tackle for loss and quarterback hit said, “Our front seven is the best in the world. Our D-Line is the best in the world. Got dudes like Jarran Reed, Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy. Our edges are dogs. They handle business every week. We’ve got the best run defense I the league. It makes it easy for us on the back end.”

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What does the Buccaneers beating the Panthers mean for the Seahawks?

Published

1 day ago

January 3, 2026

Press Room

What does the Buccaneers beating the Panthers mean for the Seahawks?

We’ll have to wait one more day to learn who takes the NFC South crown.

The Buccaneers, losers of seven of their last eight coming into today, were able to piece together a tough, 16-14 win in bad weather against the Panthers. It was a calming three hours for the Bucs and their fans, who had seen their team go from theorized Super Bowl contender in the early months of the season to bottomless freefall.

Had the Panthers found a way to win today, the NFC South, and the #4 seed in the NFC, would have been determined. Instead, we’ll have to wait another day, as a matchup between the two NFC South rivals who are eliminated from the postseason entirely will now determine everything. Certainly ironic, but great for drama.

The New Orleans Saints travel to the Atlanta Falcons tomorrow to wrap up their respective seasons, and while they’re not playing for much more than pride, both the Buccaneers and Panthers will be watching with great interest. If the Falcons win, today will prove to be little more than a minor setback for Carolina, and they’ll win the division regardless.

However, should the Saints get the road upset, everything gets flipped. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who were seemingly skidding towards a shocking early offseason, would be awarded the division on tiebreakers. Their Week Eight 23-3 victory over New Orleans, at the time seemingly innocuous, would end up salvaging their playoff spot.

Both Atlanta and New Orleans are on hot runs right now, the Falcons winners of three straight and the Saints on a four game streak. It’s a surprisingly compelling game given that both teams are guaranteed losing records on the season.

And this is very relevant to the Seattle Seahawks, because depending on tonight’s result in San Francisco, the NFC South division winner will either possibly, or definitely, be the team they play in their first playoff game.

If Seattle prevails tonight and takes the top seed in the NFC, it is entirely possible that their Divisional Round opponent is whoever comes out on top here. As the top seed, they play the lowest remaining seed, which would be either Carolina or Tampa Bay if all three home teams win on Wild Card Weekend. I wouldn’t bet on it, but it’s entirely possible.

On the other hand, if the Seahawks drop their game tonight and end up the #5 seeded NFC squad, then they’re drawing the winner of the NFC South in the first round for sure. Seattle has already played both teams this year, dropping an early-season bout to Tampa Bay 38-35, and just last week handling Carolina 27-10.

Of course, the Buccaneers were a far better team in that Week Five matchup, and the Seahawks have changed radically over the last three months as well, so it’s a matter of debate which team Seattle matches up better with. I imagine most Seahawks fans would feel good about either opponent, but there’s probably a preference somewhere in there.

Regardless, we’ll be waiting one more day to find out who the opponent will be, by which Seattle will already know if they’re watching the first round of the playoffs on a bye, or facing off against the south’s winner on the road.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) passes against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images