Mariners' Mitch Haniger: Set to start in right field

General manager Jerry Dipoto said Thursday that the team will be be patient with Haniger as he begins the season as its primary right fielder, 710 ESPN Seattle's Shannon Drayer reports

Haniger, who came over to the Mariners this offseason as part of the trade that sent Taijuan Walker to the Diamondbacks, will likely be Seattle's Opening Day right fielder. Having hit 20 home runs in just 74 games with Triple-A Reno last year, he has the potential to provide added thump to Seattle's lineup. However, the 26-year-old has logged just 123 career big league at-bats, and the Mariners could opt to sit him against especially tough right-handers (and play Nelson Cruz in the field) as he gets his feet wet.