The Mariners announced a series of roster moves this afternoon. Outfielder Jake Fraley has been activated from the COVID-19 injured list, while fellow outfielder Marcus Wilson was claimed off waivers from the Red Sox and optioned to Triple-A Tacoma. In corresponding moves, infielder Shed Long landed on the 10-day injured list with a stress reaction in his right shin, while outfielder Dillon Thomas was designated for assignment.
Fraley tested positive for COVID on July 18, and he’s missed the past two weeks recuperating. Before that, the left-handed hitting outfielder was amidst a strong campaign. Fraley’s hitting .237/.409/.439 with seven home runs over 149 plate appearances. His returning to the field — and to that level of production — would be a critical boost for a Seattle team that finds itself 3.5 games back in the AL Wild Card race.
The Sox designated Wilson for assignment over the weekend to accommodate their trade deadline acquisitions. The 24-year-old has yet to make his big league debut but he’s been a prospect of some regard dating back to his time in the Diamondbacks organization. He has spent the year with Triple-A Worcester, hitting a strong .242/.370/.452 with ten homers across 265 trips to the plate, albeit with a concerning 33.2% strikeout rate. Wilson still has an additional minor league option year remaining beyond this season, so the M’s can move him between Seattle and Tacoma for the next year if he sticks on the 40-man roster.
The presence of a right shin injury is particularly concerning for Long, who suffered a stress fracture in the bone last year. That required surgery which kept him out of action until early June, and the area is again bothering him. Long has struggled between the injuries, hitting .198/.258/.360 in 34 games this season.
The roster shuffling costs Thomas his spot. The 28-year-old earned his first big league promotion in early June with a solid .273/.379/.458 performance at Tacoma. He’s only picked up nine plate appearances over four big league games, though, collecting one hit. Thomas will now find himself on outright waivers.
I was really hoping they’d give Wilson a chance before Duran. If Duran struggles, sending him back down creates a problem. If Wilson struggled, you could release him and move onto Duran.
Wilson was better or had more potential than most of Boston’s minor leaguers. Hope he gets a chance.
he profiles as a quad a guy. I wish they had given him the call before duran (like, last year…) but to say he has more potential than most of the system is ludicrous and naive
I like the Wilson claim. he’s shown some nice all around tools in the Minors.
i like wilson good for him
I’m really surprised that Boston DFA’d Wilson. They don’t have much MLB ready OF depth in the minors so he seemed like a good insurance policy. They had plenty of marginal pitchers on the 40 man they could have designated instead.
Mariners have a lot of outfield depth in the organization and that 33% k rate, yikes!
Yes, but a 88/41 K/W, so he gets on base. I’m not expecting anything special, but a minimum wage #4 could be a nice asset. In any case, I think he has enough talent to warrant a few ABs to decide one way or the other.
Hopefully the DFA won’t make Dillon Thomas go gentle into that good night.
And the hits just keep on coming!!! hahaha
KD – you replied to a DFA of Dillon Thomas. Are you now a Mariners troll also. Lol lol lol
I thought of only had love for Mookie. Now the Mariners. You must be changing coasts old fart.
RS8 – Another binge drinking session. You need help. Nobody thinks comments like old fart because I’m a senior citizen is funny. Just like nobody thinks your suggestion about my mother was funny last time. You seriously need to grow up and I hope somebody reports your behavior. I can take it because from my perspective you simply embarrass yourself EVERY time. Don’t be afraid of rehab. It might help.
How come every single article on here you see them say someone’s having a strong campaign or someone hitting well and then they follow up that that person is batting below .240. That’s not a strong campaign. The .409 obp from Fraley is strong but you guys seem to not know what a strong campaign is. It’s a bit hilarious and head scratching. And hitting .242 in AAA is not a strong season, it’s actually pretty bad. It’s AAA
.848 ops = strong campaign
Since you don’t know what a strong campaign is.
Yes his OPS is strong with his unsustainable walk rate, but you can’t tell me that on this site that they don’t like to constantly claim players are having strong seasons when they are not, just like the AAA example above. For the record though, I really like Fraley and think he can be a big part of this team for the next few years. He’s a gamer.
The M’s didnt give Thomas much of an opportunity,with only 9PA’s.Meanwhile,Kelenic and others have had numerous AB’s,and are still up in the Majors with continual
dismal stats.I just don’t get it.
Well typically you’ll be giving those at bats to a 22 year old that’s a top five overall Prospect over a guy that didn’t get to the majors until he was almost 29 and isn’t part of any plans for this team or any other team in the future. If you still don’t get it, then I don’t know what you’ll get
Sorry to hear about Thomas. He had a feel good story for sure. Hope he stays in the Mariners organization. If not I hope he gets a real shot and finds success in the majors