After winning 1-0 against the New York Yankees on Thursday, the Seattle Mariners are now 57-65 and five games back of the Houston Astros in the American League West. Friday night begins a huge three-game series against the Astros for the M's, who are looking to keep their season alive in the division.

If Seattle is able to sweep the series, they'll pull to 2.0 games back of Houston, but they also have to worry about what the Texas Rangers are doing in front of them. If Seattle can take two-of-three, they'll be 4.0 back of the Astros. If they get swept and fall to 8.0 back? The season would essentially be over.

A few days ago, we looked at some of the levers that the Mariners could pull if they want to keep the season afloat, and the last of those levers was "call up the kids," meaning Kade Anderson, Michael Arroyo and/or Laz Montes.

Well, if you are on board with that plan, Saturday is a very big day.

Here's a look at all the factors.

Implemented during the 2022 Collective Bargaining Agreement, this PPI allows teams to gain additional high draft picks if rookies finish high up in award voting during their rookie seasons.

In order to preserve someone's rookie eligibility for 2027, a player cannot have been brought up before Aug. 15 of this year, and cannot accumulate more than 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched.

The Mariners are reliant on their "draft, develop and trade" strategy, so an extra high draft pick is certainly appealing for them, which means the Aug. 15 deadline is also important.

If any or all of these players are going to be added to the 26-man roster, they have to be added to the 40-man roster first.

The Mariners currently have 38 players on the 40-man roster, and they are set to bring Carlos Vargas back from injury (60-day IL) this weekend, meaning they will be at 39. 

Cooper Criswell (60-day IL) is also slated to return in August, so the team has to account for him as well.

There are clearly ways to get any or all of these three on to the roster, but it could come at the expense of someone else down the line.

Arroyo and Montes will be Rule-5 Draft eligible in the offseason, meaning they need to find their way onto the 40-man roster eventually anyways. But again, if the Mariners don't bring them up now, and wait until the offseason, they can wait for free agents like Randy Arozarena and JP Crawford to exit the 40-man roster, which would naturally open up spots.

Anderson is not eligible for the Rule-5 Draft this offseason, and doesn't have to be added to the 40-man roster this year as a result. If there's a lockout that costs major league games in 2027, Anderson could still play in minor league games until everything is resolved - as long as he stays off the 40-man roster.

If the Mariners put him on the 40-man roster now, he won't have that chance.

Arroyo is not regarded as a good defender, so is he going to supplant Cole Young at second base? Is he going to move Cole Young to shortstop? Is the team going to DH him and remove Cal Raleigh or Dominic Canzone or Taylor Ward from that role?

Montes is in the same boat.

And with Anderson, this team already has five starters. Are they going to go back to a 6-man rotation? Back to a piggyback? Will they move Emerson Hancock or Bryce Miller to the bullpen?

These are all things that need to be weighed.

Anderson is slated to pitch at Double-A Arkansas on Friday night. Assuming he makes that start, he wouldn't need to be called up for a few days until he's able to pitch again - if that's something the Mariners want.

The Mariners and Astros will play on Friday at 5:05 p.m. PT.

The newest edition of the 'Refuse to Lose Territory' podcast is out, featuring former Mariners broadcaster Dave Sims! You can listen here, you can watch in the YouTube player below.