Chris Taylor Fractures Wrist, Brad Miller “Wins” Shortstop Battle

Remember when I said that nobody should win the shortstop battle? That was, what, an hour and a half ago? Well, I changed my mind. Brad Miller should win the shortstop battle. What’s changed since then? Chris Taylor broke his wrist.

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This sucks big time, as Taylor is simply one of the most important players on this team. Luckily the Mariners were foolishly prepared to send him (or Miller) back to AAA anyways, so this doesn’t really affect the way the roster was likely to be constructed in real life. Except that instead of having a MLB-ready guy in AAA they’ll have Ketel Marte, who is maybe better than both Taylor and Miller.

It’s a problem in that it’s an injury to a key player. But if there was one position where the Mariners could lose somebody and absorb the blow, it’s starting pitcher shortstop. Thank goodness for depth, and top-end depth at that. Brad Miller will be the opening day shortstop, and that’s okay since he projects as one of the top shortstops in the game.

Word is Taylor will be out four to six weeks. He’s going to be in a brace at first, then will look to resume baseball activities in a month. Recall that he also struggled with a broken pinky last year. This just sucks for him. Poor guy. Let’s just hope he takes his time recovering and doesn’t rush it, as wrists have a tendency of nagging for a long time. At least he’s not a power hitter.

The shortstop battle is over. Nobody wins. Everyone loses, except Brad Miller I guess. What a drag.