What will the Mariners do without Robinson Cano?

After Robinson Cano was hit by a pitch on the hand yesterday, fracturing his hand, the Mariners need to find a way to replace him.

The first thought was to move Dee Gordon back to second base. After playing his entire career in the middle infield, a trade to the Mariners who already had Jean Segura and Robinson Cano meant he had to move. Now, he is playing a very solid center field. Manager Scott Servais has declared that Gordon is not a candidate to replace Cano. So if not Gordon, then who?

The immediate option, who filled in on Sunday, is Andrew Romine. He is the most versatile player the Mariners have listed at all infield positions and both corner outfield spots on their depth chart. The advantage to Romine is that Cano’s roster spot can then be filled by anybody. The downside is that he is 32, has seen his batting average consistently drop since 2015, and you lose versatility. Right now, every team has a player who can fill multiple roles, the quintessential bench player.  This allows them to come in as the situation dictates, and if Romine was the everyday second baseman, that is lost.

If it isn’t Romine, and Gordon isn’t being considered, then it is time to look off the roster. In AAA, the Mariners have two viable options in Gordon Beckham and Taylor Motter.

Beckham is a former everyday second baseman for the White Sox with a career batting average of .239. It seems that he has begun to reshape his approach at the plate. So far this year, he has a walk rate of 16.7% and a strikeout rate of 12.3%. Both of these are improvements on his career averages (majors and minors) of 7.3% and 19.8% respectively. Hopefully, this would allow for a resurgence at the plate if promoted.

Taylor Motter looked ready to breakout last year. He hit .350 in AAA resulting in a .450 wOBA in 117 plate appearances. However, after being promoted to the majors, he only hit .198 in 92 games. Using him as the replacement requires confidence that he will recover his old form, as he is only hitting .198 in AAA so far this year.

Next: 27 MLB Records That Will Never Be Broken

It seems as though Beckham is the best option for the Mariners right now. He gives them a professional hitter at second base, and allows Andrew Romine to remain the flexible option he is now.