Haniger scratched due to tightness in back

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Mitch Haniger was scratched from the Mariners’ lineup Sunday with what the team termed “general back tightness,” but manager Scott Servais didn’t appear concerned that the issue would linger for the 28-year-old outfielder.

“He had a little back stiffness this morning; nothing big,” Servais said after Seattle’s 7-3 win over the D-backs. “We have a day off tomorrow, so as soon as I heard that I just scratched him today. Give him two days and bring him back after the off-day.”

Haniger is hitting .300 (3-for-10) with two home runs, a double and four RBIs in five games this spring. Jake Fraley moved from left field to center after Haniger was scratched, while Shed Long was slotted into the No. 2 spot in the lineup, playing left field.

“Nothing serious; he’ll be fine,” Servais said of Haniger. “It was more me taking the precaution and pulling him out than him wanting to come out.”

Three for one
Long, Kristopher Negron and Dylan Moore have had their moments this spring, but the decision on which infielder will make the Mariners’ season-opening roster isn’t expected until later this month.

“Those guys have all had their day or multiple days where they’ve looked really good,” Servais said. “Certainly Negron and Moore have more experience and have played at a higher level than Shed Long has, but it’s an interesting battle that will play out here in the next 8-10 days before we head to Japan.

“Right now, barring injury, one of these guys will make the team. It won’t be two. They know that.”

Long (.250/.368/.500, 1 home run, 4 RBIs) and Moore (.231/.444/.308) have slightly outpaced Negron (.182/.231/.273) at the plate, albeit in small sample sizes (each has between 11-16 at-bats this spring), though Negron is the only one with big league experience (130 games over five seasons with the Reds, D-backs and Mariners).

The battle should heat up following Monday’s off-day, as the Mariners have nine more days of Cactus League games before they head to Japan for the season-opening series against the Athletics.

“For me, I’m always curious how those guys handle it down the stretch,” Servais said. “When we come out of the off-day, it’s on. We don’t have much time before we go. Can they stay with the same approach? Do they try to do too much? Do they just play the game and stay within themselves? I think those guys will handle it real well.”

Roster rumblings
Seattle and Oakland will be allowed to carry 28 players on their active rosters for the two games in Tokyo, but Servais hasn’t decided how he’ll use the three extra spots. One is expected to go to Ichiro, but the coaching staff will discuss the others in the coming week or so.

“We’ll look at some of those things; certainly we’ll have an extra pitcher, I would suspect, in that grouping,” Servais said. “It could be an extra outfielder. I’m not really looking at it; I’m looking more at the guys we have, who is going to make an impact for us. If they don’t originally start on a 25-man roster, do they earn the right to go? That type of thing."

Servais downplayed the importance of the expanded roster.

“I would feel comfortable if we only had 25, but the fact that we get 28 I think is great,” he said. “We’ll just try to make those decisions accordingly. It’s two games; when we came back from the strike in ’95, we actually played a month with 28 players. That was a big deal. This is just two games; I’m not that concerned about it. Who ends up making those final two spots, will they play, will they not play? I don’t know. Too far down the road for me.”

Worth noting
• After opening his spring with a pair of scoreless appearances, Hunter Strickland gave up two runs on three hits in one inning on Sunday.

“I thought Hunter threw the ball really well,” Servais said. “The first couple hitters, he got two pretty quick outs. Had good life on the fastball, got in a 3-2 count and he went after him. The guy hits a double, they get a soft little bloop in for a hit there. But I’m really happy with how he’s throwing.”

• The Mariners optioned infielder Joey Curletta to Triple-A Tacoma on Sunday, leaving the total number of players in big league camp at 61 (37 roster players, 24 non-roster players).

Up next
The Mariners have an off-day Monday and will resume play Tuesday in Peoria against the Padres at 12:10 p.m. PT. RHP Mike Leake takes the mound for Seattle, while LHP Eric Lauer gets the start for San Diego. The game can be seen on MLB.TV and ROOT Sports and heard on 710 ESPN Seattle.