Mariners third baseman Eugenio Suarez will stand at first base for the team's scrimmage Thursday
SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners are set to play an intersquad scrimmage at 5 p.m. PT on Thursday at T-Mobile Park. It will be the second scrimmage the Mariners have played this week to keep fresh for an upcoming American League Divisional Series matchup against the Detroit Tigers. Game 1 of the best-of-five series will take place at either 1:08 p.m. PT or 5:38 p.m. PT on Saturday at T-Mobile Park.
The teams are separated into "home" and "away" squads during the scrimmage. Several taxi squad players will suit up for both teams, and 2025 National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Ichiro Suzuki played in right field Wednesday and will again Thursday.
For the away team, veteran Seattle third baseman Eugenio Suarez will play an unusual position Thursday.
The two-time All-Star will play first base Thursday. He was fielding ground balls with infield coach Perry Hill before the scrimmage.
Suarez has played a grand total of six innings in his 12-season MLB career at first base. All six were this season. He played two innings at first in one game with the Arizona Diamondbacks and four innings at the position across a pair of games since the Mariners acquired him in a trade July 31.
Suarez was one of the most dangerous power-hitters in baseball this year. He scored 91 runs in 159 games and hit 28 doubles and 49 home runs with 118 RBIs. He slashed .228/.298/.526 with an .824 OPS. His 49 homers and 118 RBIs ranked fifth and fourth in the majors this season, respectively.
Since Seattle traded for Suarez, he's crossed home plate 27 times in 53 games and hit nine doubles and 13 homers with 31 RBIs. He slashed .189/.255/.428 with a .683 OPS.
Suarez hit a three-run homer for the away team in the first scrimmage Wednesday. The away team ultimately won 6-1.
The move to first isn't necessarily indicative of an impending move to first for Suarez in the playoffs.
Mariners manager Dan Wilson already said that the team doesn't plan on making major changes to the lineup for the postseason.
Seattle tried something similar with veteran slugger Jorge Polanco in September. Polanco would practice pregame at first base, but he ultimately didn't make a start at the position.
The Mariners preach versatility, and those reps at first could come in handy if Seattle finds itself in a pinch in the playoffs.
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