- Mariners manager Scott Servais heaped praise onto offseason trade acquisition Mitch Haniger following yesterday’s huge performance (both in the field and at the plate), as MLB.com’s Greg Johns writes. “We’ve liked everything we’ve seen from Mitch since the first day we got him to Spring Training,” said Servais of Haniger, who hit his fourth home run, robbed a homer from Joey Gallo and drew a bases-loaded walk to score the game-tying run in the ninth in yesterday’s game. “How he’s gone about his business, and obviously he’s been very productive for us. He does his homework, he’s as prepared as anybody we have, and he’s got a lot of confidence.” While Jean Segura grabbed the most attention as the headliner going to Seattle in the trade that sent Taijuan Walker and Ketel Marte to Arizona, Haniger’s early play has solidified him as the everyday right fielder in Seattle. He’s currently hitting .294/.410/.588 through his first 61 plate appearances.
Mariners Rumors
Jean Segura, Steve Cishek Take Steps Toward Returning
- Mariners infielder Jean Segura and reliever Steve Cishek are close to returning from injury, writes MLB.com’s Greg Johns. Segura has been doing some supervised running to test his ailing hamstring, and hopes to return on Friday, when is when he’s first eligible to come back after going on the DL last Tuesday. Cishek, meanwhile, is beginning a rehab assignment with Double-A Arkansas. Cishek is still making his way back after having microfracture hip surgery last October.
Mariners Could Become Sellers If They Don't Improve
- The Mariners could start selling talent early if they don’t improve after starting the season 3-8, Cafardo writes. Should the Mariners become sellers, I’d speculate that potential trade candidates could include Danny Valencia, Carlos Ruiz, Jarrod Dyson, Yovani Gallardo and Steve Cishek, all of whom are eligible (or potentially eligible) for free agency after this season. Players like Marc Rzepczynski, Leonys Martin and even Nelson Cruz and Jean Segura could also be subjects of speculation.
Casey Fien Accepts Outright Assignment With Mariners
- Righty Casey Fien has accepted a Triple-A assignment with the Mariners after clearing outright waivers, as Bob Dutton and TJ Cotterill of the Tacoma News Tribune report (Twitter links). Fien, who said it was an easy call to remain in the organization, was designated after a few rough outings. But the 33-year-old still has plenty of life to his fastball and was registering swings and misses, and he figures to be one of the first players up if a need rises.
Mariners Activate Tony Zych; Steve Cishek Nearing Rehab Stint
- Righty Tony Zych is back in action for the Mariners, with the club announcing he has been activated from the 10-day DL. Southpaw Dillon Overton is heading out on optional assignment to open a roster spot. Shoulder issues hampered Zych last year and forced him into surgery, but he’ll look to regain the excellent form he showed in 2015 — which would be quite welcome for a Seattle club that is off to a dreadful start. Meanwhile, Steve Cishek is nearing a rehab assignment and could be back in the majors, too, after he makes three or four appearances, MLB.com’s Greg Johns tweets.
Orioles Acquire Paul Fry For Int’l Pool Slot, Designate Parker Bridwell
5:42pm: The teams have announced the deal, which sends an international signing bonus allocation — slot #105 of the 2016-17 period, which is worth $198K in spending capacity — to Seattle. Baltimore has designated righty Parker Bridwell to clear roster space.
5:25pm: The Orioles have acquired lefty Paul Fry from the Mariners, as Rich Dubroff of PressBoxOnline.com tweets. Fry, 24, was designated recently by Seattle.
Baltimore has continued to tweak its pitching mix of late, and now the organization has another optionable arm on hand. Fry spun 55 Triple-A frames of 2.78 ERA ball last year. Though he retired 10.6 batters per nine vi strikeout, he also permitted 5.1 free passes per nine on the year. Fry has yet to appear at the major league level.
Latest On Tony Zych, Steve Cishek
- Mariners righty Tony Zych could be nearing a return, as Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reports, with Steve Cishek not farm behind him. It remains to be seen whether Zych will head to the MLB roster, as he could also be optioned. Manager Scott Servais praised the righty’s form after a sim game, saying he looked “very sharp.”
Mariners Outright Casey Fien, Recall Evan Marshall
The Mariners announced that they’ve outrighted reliever Casey Fien to Triple-A Tacoma, thus removing him from the 40-man roster. Fien’s spot on the 25-man roster will go to fellow right-handed reliever Evan Marshall, who has been recalled from Tacoma.
While the move also opens a 40-man spot, that’ll be accounted for, too. Minor league outfielder Boog Powell has been reinstate from the restricted list after serving an 80-game suspension for a failed PED test.
The 33-year-old Fien had a fairly solid bounceback run last year with the Dodgers, leading to a MLB deal with Seattle over the winter. It’s not immediately clear whether that contract includes language allowing the team to escape the full $1.1MM salary that it carried; per the reporting at the time, it came with a minor-league split salary.
Things didn’t go quite as hoped for Fien in the early going. In five outings, he was tagged for seven earned runs on seven hits (two of them long balls) and three walks, while logging five strikeouts. He was still showing a 93 mph average fastball, though, and was missing bats (16.9% swinging-strike rate) in his brief stint, so it wouldn’t be too surprising to see him back up — whether or not it’s with the M’s — at some point this year.
Marshall, who’l soon turn 27, was claimed recently off waivers. GM Jerry Dipoto is a long-time fan of the sinkerballer, who’s looking to return to the success he showed as a rookie back in 2014. Marshall hasn’t yet regained traction in the majors since suffering a scary skull fracture, but it seems he’ll get a shot at locking down a role in Seattle.
Roster Moves On The Horizon For Mariners
- The Mariners will have a few roster moves to make today, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times notes (Twitter links). Outfielder Boog Powell is set to be reinstated after receiving an 80-game suspension for a failed PED test late last June, and Seattle will need to open a 40-man spot to accommodate him. Additionally, Divish reports that the Mariners are slated to promote right-hander Evan Marshall from Triple-A Tacoma to get a fresh arm into their ’pen.
Mariners Designate Paul Fry, Select Mike Freeman, Place Jean Segura On DL
5:28pm: Mariners manager Scott Servais tells reporters that Segura’s hamstring strain is mild, and the team expects him to return in the minimum 10 days (Twitter link via MLB.com’s Greg Johns).
4:47pm: The Mariners announced that they’ve placed Jean Segura on the 10-day disabled list due to a strained hamstring. Infielder Mike Freeman’s contract has been selected from Triple-A Tacoma, while left-hander Paul Fry has been designated for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.
[Related: Updated Seattle Mariners Depth Chart]
Segura sustained his injury yesterday against Houston, per the Mariners’ release. The 27-year-old was acquired alongside right fielder Mitch Haniger in the trade that sent Taijuan Walker to the Diamondbacks this offseason and had gotten off to a strong start in his new environs. In eight games (35 plate appearances) as a Mariner, Segura has batted .313/.353/.406 with a homer and three stolen bases. With Segura sidelined for the near future, it seems likely that utilityman Taylor Motter will step up and play shortstop.
Freeman, 29, made his Major League debut in 2016 but received just 24 plate appearances between the D-backs and the Mariners, who claimed him off waivers from Arizona last summer. In 503 Triple-A plate appearances last year, the former 11th-round draft pick hit .314/.285/.419 with four homers, 23 doubles and six triples. Those numbers, tallied across 104 games, bear a striking resemblance to the second baseman/outfielder’s career marks in 298 contests: .314/.376/.424. He was off to a 4-for-12 start to the 2017 season in Triple-A.
The 24-year-old Fry had made just one appearance with Triple-A Tacoma this season but is coming off a fine year with Seattle’s top minor league affiliate. Last season, the former 17th-rounder logged 55 innings with a 2.78 ERA, 10.6 K/9 and 5.1 BB/9. Lofty strikeout numbers are nothing new for Fry, who has a career 11.0 K/9 rate in his minor league career. However, Fry has also struggled to some extent with control throughout his career (3.7 BB/9), especially against upper-level competition.
