Switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje will focus on throwing right-handed in games this spring.
This seems like the right call. Although he’s a natural left-hander, Cijntje, the Mariners’ first-round pick in 2024, throws quite a bit harder right-handed and looks like a potential middle-of-the-rotation starter from that side. As a left-hander, he doesn’t offer the same kind of promise. However, he is expected to continue throwing bullpen sessions as a lefty, and it will be interesting to see if he can occasionally make left-handed relief appearances in between starts once he reaches the majors. He’s likely to spend all of 2026 in the minors after posting a 4.58 ERA in 74 2/3 innings in High-A and a 2.67 ERA in 33 2/3 innings in Double-A last year.