The Seattle Mariners have won four of their last five games and taken the first two games of their series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Now, entering Wednesday’s series finale, Mariners manager Dan Wilson made some notable changes to his starting lineup as Seattle looks to keep its momentum going in a wide-open American League Wild Card race.
Mariners Announce Randy Arozarena Change
One of the notable moves involves star outfielder Randy Arozarena, who will move out of the leadoff spot and back into the No. 2 hole.
Arozarena will still start in left field, but he’ll bat behind Taylor Ward, who moves into the leadoff spot Wednesday.
Via Underdog MLB: “Mariners 8/26 T. Ward RF R. Arozarena LF J. Rodríguez CF C. Raleigh DH P. Wisdom 1B J. Crawford SS W. Wilson 3B J. Pereda C B. Rodden 2B B. Woo SP.”
Mariners 8/26
T. Ward RF
R. Arozarena LF
J. Rodríguez CF
C. Raleigh DH
P. Wisdom 1B
J. Crawford SS
W. Wilson 3B
J. Pereda C
B. Rodden 2BB. Woo SP
— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) August 26, 2026
Arozarena’s 2026 Campaign
In his eighth MLB season and third year with the Mariners, Arozarena has been one of Seattle’s few bright spots. He also earned his second straight All-Star selection.
He’s currently batting .274 across 124 games and 460 at-bats with 20 home runs, 58 RBIs, a .465 slugging percentage and an .837 OPS.
Mariners Right Now
Seattle entered the season with lofty expectations as a potential American League contender thanks to the amount of talent on its roster.
Yet, the Mariners entered Wednesday with a 64-69 record. Despite the losing record, they’re still firmly in the playoff mix with the AL race so wide open.
They’re just 2.5 games behind the Houston Astros for the AL West lead and three games out of a Wild Card spot.
Seattle Mariners Announce Randy Arozarena Change During Phillies Series