Julio Rodriguez Scratched From Seattle Mariners Spring Training Lineup on Monday
The Seattle Mariners were set to play with, what seemed to be, a potential Opening Day lineup on Monday afternoon against the Athletics.
The original lineup featured Victor Robles (RF), Julio Rodriguez (CF), Cal Raleigh (C), Randy Arozarena (LF), Luke Raley (1B), Jorge Polanco (3B), Rowdy Tellez (DH), Ryan Bliss (2B) and J.P. Crawford (SS).
However, the plan changed when Rodriguez was scratched at about 8:30 a.m. PT. He was replaced by Austin Shenton, with Raley moving to CF. Jorge Polanco slides up in the order to hit second.
Anytime Rodriguez is scratched from a lineup, M's fans hold their breath, but in this case, all seems OK. Our Mariners on SI reporter Teren Kowatsch says that Rodriguez is under the weather and there is no injury.
Julio’s not feeling well today. No injury.#Mariners #TridentsUp https://t.co/vyE75FzJWF
— Teren Kowatsch (@Teren_Kowatsch) March 17, 2025
Rodriguez is the most important player in the M's lineup because of his incredibly high ceiling. Just 24 years old, he's already made the All-Star team twice in the last three seasons. He's a two-time Silver Slugger winner and a Rookie of the Year winner (2022).
Despite his robust resume, Rodriguez is coming off a bit of a down year. He hit .273 with 20 homers and 68 RBIs, but he also battled major fits of inconsistency. He'll look to rectify that under a full year of guidance from Edgar Martinez and Kevin Seitzer.
The Mariners have just over a week remaining in Cactus League play before they head North to kick off the 2025 season. They'll do that on March 27 at home against the Athletics.
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