Brady's Spin: Ryan Bliss Needs to Stay with the Mariners Even After Jorge Polanco Returns

The Seattle Mariners are getting ready to welcome back second baseman Jorge Polanco from the injured list and even when they do, second baseman Ryan Bliss should stay on the roster.

Seattle Mariners second baseman Ryan Bliss (1) hits a single against the Miami Marlins during the fifth inning at loanDepot Park on June 21. / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

The Seattle Mariners are getting ready to welcome back second baseman Jorge Polanco from the injured list and when they do, infielder Ryan Bliss should stay on the roster.

Bliss went 3-for-3 on Friday in a loss to the Miami Marlins and went 3-for-4 in a win on Saturday and he's absolutely played himself into a more permanent roster spot. He's shown the ability to hit for some power and has shown off his speed with four stolen bases thus far.

Despite the positional redundancy with Polanco, he is more deserving right now of a roster spot than top prospect Tyler Locklear, who has been stapled to the bench for the better part of the last week. Locklear needs to go back to Triple-A to get regular at-bats and the M's can find creative ways to get Bliss in the lineup easier than they can Locklear.

Jason Churchill of Prospect Insider agrees as well:

After a 1-for-15 start in the majors, he's hitting .342 ith 3-2B, 3B, HR.

The whiff is high (31.6%), but he's handled himself fairly well.

When Polanco comes back, it's Locklear to Tacoma, so Bliss isn't going anywhere.

After a 1-for-15 start in the majors, he's hitting .342 ith 3-2B, 3B, HR.

The whiff is high (31.6%), but he's handled himself fairly well.

When Polanco comes back, it's Locklear to Tacoma, so Bliss isn't going anywhere.

— Jason A. Churchill (@ProspectInsider) June 23, 2024

If the M's want to get both Bliss and Polanco in the game, they could perhaps put Polanco at DH against lefties with Bliss at second. They could put Ty France at first and Mitch Haniger in right field in these scenarios. They'd likely sit Mitch Garver there. If they want to play Garver at DH, perhaps they could try to shift Polanco over to third base, a position he played 15 games at last year for Minnesota. Perhaps Bliss could play some third base under the tutelage of Perry Hill. There are just more options to get him in the lineup than there are for Locklear.

Plus, he's hit well enough to warrant the extended stay. Polanco could be activated as early as Monday so we'll continue to see how the front office wants to handle it but it seems likely that Bliss will still be in Seattle when he gets back.

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