Garver is going to be on the roster as the backup catcher, but what's the deal with him moonlighting at first base on Monday?
On Monday, the Seattle Mariners will play their final Cactus League game of the 2026 spring against the San Diego Padres.
Several of the Mariners regulars are playing in the contest, including Cal Raleigh, Josh Naylor, Randy Arozarena and Brendan Donovan.
Leo Rivas, expected to start the year at shortstop in the wake of J.P. Crawford's injury, is in the lineup too.
However, one lineup decision raised the eyebrows of M's fans everywhere: Mitch Garver is playing first base? Huh?
We learned on Sunday that Garver is going to make the roster at backup catcher, but he has all of 15 games at first base in his nine-year career, and only one since 2023.
So what's going on here?
Let's offer a few suggestions as to what's going on:
Cal Raleigh needs plate appearances
Raleigh got only nine official at-bats in the World Baseball Classic, playing in just three games. He's had 29 at-bats this spring, but he's a cumulative 6-for-38 between the WBC and the Cactus League.
He might want more plate appearances before Opening Day, especially with two full days off coming between now and Thursday's game against Cleveland.
Garver also needs more plate appearances
Garver signed after the start of spring training and has 24 official at-bats this spring. Given that the Guardians are set to run out a rotation of three consecutive right-handed pitchers to open the season, it's quite possible that Garver doesn't play until Sunday's contest against lefty Joey Cantillo. It makes sense to get him some at-bats as well.
So what about the obvious question?
Yes, Raleigh could catch and Garver could DH, or vise versa, so why is Garver at first and Josh Naylor at DH?
It's a fair question and any number of things are possible. Perhaps Naylor wants to rest his legs before the start of the season? Perhaps the team wants Garver to have just an 'in case of emergency' first base ability.
Both would make sense and for the people who are worried about Garver seeing time at first - I wouldn't be.
Versatility is ultimately a good thing, even if Garver can just be there in case of an emergency. Rob Refsnyder is in that position as well.
Other things to know
--While the M's haven't said it specifically yet, it appears that Logan Gilbert will start the opener with George Kirby, Bryan Woo and Luis Castillo coming up in succession. That means that Woo won't pitch in the New York Yankees series, who the M's play after Cleveland.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION:
Remember to join our MARINERS on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Mariners fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!