Mariners bench Refsnyder, promote Young as Royals visit Seattle

Key facts

• Rob Refsnyder is absent from the Mariners lineup for Friday's game against the Royals, day-to-day with no specific reason given.
• Cole Young, batting seventh, has a.286/.357/.420 slash line and leads MLB with 1.9 bWAR.
• Bryan Woo (3.86 ERA) starts for Seattle; he has struck out fewer batters this season.
• Cole Ragans (11 strikeouts, 0 walks in last start) pitches for Kansas City, but has been worse on the road.
• Vinnie Pasquantino returns to the Royals lineup after missing two games with back tightness.
• The game is exclusively on Apple TV's Friday Night Baseball series.
• Kansas City finished April with a 12-19 record, 3.5 games behind the division leader.

Lineup shake-up for Seattle

The Seattle Mariners will take the field Friday evening without one of their primary right-handed bats against left-handed pitching. Manager Dan Wilson confirmed that veteran outfielder Rob Refsnyder is day-to-day, but declined to specify the reason for his absence. Refsnyder, 35, typically leads off as designated hitter or in the outfield when the Mariners face a southpaw. In his place, backup catcher Mitch Garver will serve as designated hitter, batting sixth, while Connor Joe starts in right field and hits eighth. Shortstop J.P. Crawford, who has been leading off against right-handed starters with third baseman Brendan Donovan on the injured list, will bat first. The most notable change, however, is the promotion of second-year second baseman Cole Young to the seventh spot in the order. Young has primarily hit eighth or ninth this season, but his strong start — a.286/.357/.420 slash line and a.777 OPS — has earned him a higher slot. He ranks fourth in all of Major League Baseball with 1.9 bWAR.

Pitching matchup: Woo vs. Ragans

All-Star Bryan Woo will make his seventh start of the season for Seattle, carrying a 3.86 ERA and a 1.057 WHIP. Despite his strong overall numbers, Woo has struggled to generate strikeouts this year and has allowed more airborne contact while stranding fewer runners. The Royals' offense, which has also underperformed, may see this as an opportunity to break out. Kansas City counters with left-hander Cole Ragans, who delivered one of the finest outings of his career his last time out, striking out 11 and walking none in a win over the Los Angeles Angels. However, Ragans has been significantly less effective on the road this season, a trend that may partly be attributed to his recovery from a comebacker injury sustained in Cleveland. In his only previous start against the Mariners — a return from the injured list last season — he pitched 3.2 innings, striking out four and walking two.

Royals seek turnaround after tough April

The Kansas City Royals enter the series with a 12-19 record in April, but remain only 3.5 games behind their division leader. The team is hoping that a road trip to Seattle can spark a turnaround, much like a similar trip last July that preceded a 15-9 month. In that series, the Royals lost the first game but won two of the next three to split the series. First baseman Vinnie Pasquantino returns to the lineup after missing two games with back tightness. He was taking quality at-bats before leaving Tuesday's game. Additionally, the Royals have promoted Jac Caglianone above Isaac Collins and Michael Massey for the night, potentially creating a dynamic pairing with catcher Carter Jensen in the middle of the order.

Broadcast and viewing details

Friday's game, scheduled for a 6:45 p.m. first pitch at T-Mobile Park, will be broadcast exclusively on Apple TV as part of the streaming service's Friday Night Baseball series. The Mariners Radio Network will begin coverage with a pregame show at 5:30 p.m. on Seattle Sports. This marks the second consecutive season that Apple TV has carried a Mariners-Royals Friday night game, and the broadcast has drawn praise for its production quality. Fans without a subscription can access free trials, though the game will not be available on traditional cable or satellite.

Outlook and implications

The Mariners, who have shown signs of shaking off a slow start, will rely on their revamped lineup to generate offense against a tough lefty. Cole Young's emergence as a top-tier performer by bWAR adds depth to a batting order that has at times struggled to produce consistently. For the Royals, the series represents a critical early-season test. If they can replicate last year's Seattle turnaround, they could close the gap in the division. But with Ragans' road struggles and an offense that has yet to click, the path forward remains uncertain. The next few games will reveal whether April's struggles were a temporary setback or a sign of deeper issues.

The bottom line

• Rob Refsnyder is day-to-day, forcing a lineup change that promotes Cole Young to seventh and Mitch Garver to DH.
• Cole Young leads MLB with 1.9 bWAR and has a.777 OPS, justifying his higher spot in the order.
• Bryan Woo's diminished strikeout rate and increased contact allowed make him vulnerable against a Royals lineup seeking a breakout.
• Cole Ragans has been dominant at home but significantly worse on the road, a trend the Mariners hope to exploit.
• Vinnie Pasquantino returns from back tightness, and Jac Caglianone is promoted in the Royals order.
• The game is exclusively on Apple TV, continuing the streaming platform's Friday Night Baseball series.