That question – who starts in center? – is going to be a tough one for the Mariners to answer now that Jeremy Reed is headed to the disabled list with a broken thumb. Here's a rundown of the possibilities:

1. Willie Bloomquist – Bloomquist has already logged time there this season because of Reed's inability to hit lefties. The position is not Bloomquist's strongest defensively, but he's OK. Probably not the long term answer if Reed should be out for two or more months, however, because of his glove and his light bat.

2. Ichiro – Here's one that will gain traction in the coming days. Ichiro has not been asked to go there, at least not on Sunday. Would he go if asked is another whole issue, and it's one that has never been explored because the Mariners have always insisted that Ichiro was a great right fielder, so why would they change that? They might have to because they aren't any better options right now in the majors or in the minors.

3. Chris Snelling – Snelling's knee injuries have cost him not only playing time over the last few years but probably some of his range as an outfielder. He has played center this season at Tacoma, but not everyday. He's left-handed, which is attractive to the Mariners, but he hasn't proven to be 100 percent healthy yet and playing center might be more demanding than he could handle at this stage. His numbers in Tacoma suggests he can still hit, however: .296 with 29 RBI in just 125 at-bats.

4. Adam Jones – Jones is only 20 and in his first year of playing center and is playing for the first time at Triple-A. He's done as well as can be expected but he still encounters rough stretches on defense, as his team-high eight errors would suggest. He's got all the tools but he's probably not ready to handle the job just yet. He's been streaky with the Rainiers at the plate, but his numbers are still pretty good: .275, 11 homers, 41 RBI and 12 steals in 309 at-bats.

5. Shin Soo Choo – Choo is tearing up the PCL right now, hitting .327 with 11 homers and 22 steals. Center, though, is not a good fit for him however. He's better at the corners, which would mean Ichiro would have to go to center if the Mariners wanted to put a solid defender in center. Choo's left-handed, which means he could platoon with Bloomquist if Seattle wanted to keep Ichiro in right at least part of the time.

6. T.J. Bohn – A good center fielder, Bohn is on the DL after injuring his hand in June. He has not played in a month and is not an option right now.

7. Sebastian Boucher – Boucher plays center at Double-A San Antonio, but he's not major-league ready. He's hitting just .243 with only seven extra base hits in 259 at-bats.