The Mariners have designated left-hander Dillon Overton for assignment, the team announced. Righy Rob Whalen was optioned to Double-A and righty Max Povse had his contract selected from Double-A in corresponding moves.
[Updated Mariners depth chart at Roster Resource]
Overton came to Seattle from Oakland in an offseason trade, and the southpaw posted a 6.38 ERA and just eight strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings. Originally a second-round pick for the A’s in the 2013 draft, Overton has posted generally strong results in his minor league career, apart from a 9.33 ERA over 27 Triple-A frames this season.
The 2017 Baseball America Prospect Handbook rated Povse as the eighth-best prospect in Seattle’s system prior to the season, comparing the 6’8″ Povse to Doug Fister both in terms of height and their ability to generate ground balls. Povse has been slowed by a hamstring injury this season, though he’ll still make the jump from Double-A straight to the big leagues after delivering a 3.46 ERA, 7.38 K/9 and 41.6% grounder rate over 39 innings. Povse has started eight of his nine appearances this year, so he’ll likely project as a long man in the Mariners’ bullpen.
