Mitch

Garver

Raleigh will get a chance to reset mentally, instead of facing Yankees southpaw Ryan Weathers, after going an ice-cold 2-for-15 with one RBI and 10 strikeouts during a four-game series against the Guardians to open the regular season. There are obviously zero concerns fantasy-wise when it comes to the 29-year-old slugging backstop on the heels of a 60-homer campaign where he rewrote the offensive record book for catchers. It’s only a matter of time before he heats up. It’ll be Mitch Garver handling the catching duties on Monday night in his place.

Even though he was a late returnee last month, Garver was able to beat out Andrew Knizner and retain his job as Cal Raleigh’s backup. He isn’t currently in line to see much time as a DH against left-handers, but that could change if more injuries strike.

Garver, 35, smashed a solo homer off Sean Burke, and then drove in another run off Burke courtesy of a sac fly. The 35-year-old has reportedly made the roster, and while he’s a shell of the hitter he was earlier in the decade, he’ll get a chance to give Cal Raleigh a spell and likely DH on occasion against southpaws.

Garver was signed to a minor league contract in February, and while the team gave Andrew Knizner an MLB deal, it appears that Garver will beat out Knizner for the right to back up Big Dumper aka Cal Raleigh. Garver likely will see most of his playing time against left-handed pitching behind the plate and ocassionally at DH.

It’s about time. The Mariners gave Andrew Knizner a major league deal earlier this winter, apparently because they felt that with having baseball’s best catcher as their starter, they could get away with its 80th-best as his backup. Garver, who, according to MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer, will earn $2.25 million if he makes the team, should overtake Knizner and slide into his old role, though he probably won’t see much time DHing against lefties as he has at some points.

Garver had a $12 million mutual option for 2026, but he will instead be paid $1 million and become a free agent. It was a rough stretch for Garver as a Mariner, hitting .187/.290/.341 in 720 plate appearances with 24 home runs and a nearly 30 percent strikeout rate over two seasons. He might find a bidder as a potential designated hitter.

The Mariners are using the same lineup they did in Game 2 against Skubal, with Dominic Canzone sitting against the lefty. Garver went 1-for-3 in that game, which proved to be a 3-2 victory for the Mariners. The full lineup: LF Randy Arozarena, C Cal Raleigh, CF Julio Rodríguez, 2B Jorge Polanco, 3B Eugenio Suárez, 1B Josh Naylor, DH Garver, RF Victor Robles, SS J.P. Crawford.

Naylor has yet to depart for Arizona to be with his wife for the birth of their first child, which means he’s still in there for a critical Game 2 showdown against Tigers ace Tarik Skubal. The 28-year-old slugger figures to head out on paternity leave at some point during the best-of-five series. Here’s the full lineup: Randy Arozarena (LF), Cal Raleigh (C), Julio Rodríguez (CF), Jorge Polanco (2B), Eugenio Suárez (3B), Naylor (1B), Mitch Garver (DH), Victor Robles (RF) and SS J.P. Crawford.

Garver came up huge with a go-ahead homer off Connor Brogdon to give Seattle the 2-1 lead and ultimately the win in the seventh inning. The 34-year-old backstop has nine homers on the year, and he’s become nothing more than a backup backstop at this stage of his career. Tonight, however, he helped Seattle win their seventh-straight game and remain tied for first place with the Astros.

Ford, the 12th overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, will make his major-league debut after hitting .283/.408/.460 with 16 homers and seven steals for Tacoma. He possesses incredible athleticism and stolen base prowess for a catcher, which gives him immediate fantasy relevance. After seeing a little time in the outfield last year, he was exclusively a catcher this season. He probably won’t be a full-timer for the Mariners, but he could see some action between DH and catcher in tandem with Cal Raleigh, at least when Jorge Polanco is starting in the infield. Mitch Garver is surely in line for less playing time.