Mitch Haniger making start in right for Mariners Thursday night

Seattle Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger will start in right field and hit leadoff on Opening Day against right-hander Kevin Gausman and the San Francisco Giants.

What It Means:

Haniger will be making his first appearance in a regular-season game since June 6, 2019 due to sports hernia surgery and a microdiscectomy. The 30-year-old posted a .818 OPS during spring ball and he's expected to handle leadoff duties as long as he's healthy. Seattle's Full Opening Day lineup: Haniger RF, Ty France DH, Kyle Seager 3B, Evan White 1B, Taylor Trammell CF, Dylan Moore 2B, Jake Fraley LF, Tom Murphy C, J.P. Crawford SS. Marco Gonzales will be on the mound for the Mariners.

numberFire's models project Haniger to score 8.6 FanDuel points on Thursday and he has a salary of $3,100 on the Opening Day slate.