Mariners Recall Robinson Ortiz, Select Brennen Davis
The Mariners announced several roster moves today. Infielder Patrick Wisdom has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list and left-hander Robinson Ortiz has been recalled from Triple-A. The lefty will be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game. To open spots for those two, Seattle optioned right-hander Domingo González and infielder Leo Rivas. Additionally, the Mariners selected outfielder Brennen Davis to the 40-man roster and optioned him to Triple-A. The 40-man had a vacancy but is now full with Davis taking the open spot.
Ortiz, 26, was just acquired from the Dodgers in an offseason trade. As a minor leaguer, he has missed significant time due to injuries. When healthy, he has been able to get batters out but has also flashed control issues.
That has been the case in his first season with the M’s so far. He has thrown 16 Triple-A innings, allowing 1.69 earned runs per nine. He has struck out 26.1% of the batters he has faced and induced grounders on half the balls in play he has allowed but has also given out walks at a massive 17.4% clip. If it weren’t for a .211 batting average on balls in play and no fly balls clearing the fence, he surely would have suffered far worse results.
He has mostly been a fastball-slider guy this year, throwing those two pitches almost 90% of the time. His cutter has made up the rest of his offerings. The four-seamer is averaging 94.4 miles per hour this year with the slider at 83.9 mph.
It’s possible the the Mariners wanted to get a fresh arm onto the roster. They have been utilizing a six-man rotation lately, leaving them with only seven relievers. González has been heavily used recently, with four appearances in the past six days, including the two most recent contests. If González was going to be unavailable for a day or two, that would drop the Mariners to only six available relievers. Instead, they have swapped in Ortiz, who will make his major league debut as soon as soon as he gets the call.
As for Davis, it was reported that he had an assignment clause in his minor league deal last week. If triggered, he would have to be offered up to the other 29 clubs in the league. If any one of them were willing to give him a 40-man spot, the Mariners would have to either trade him or give him a 40-man spot themselves.
It didn’t seem like the M’s wanted to let him get away. “I don’t see a scenario where we don’t keep him in our organization,” general manager Justin Hollander said. “He’s a right-handed bat with power and there aren’t a ton of them available.” Based on this move, it appears that Davis triggered his clause and had at least one club out there willing to roster him. The Mariners then used their open roster spot to prevent him from getting away, though Davis is being kept in the minors for now.
A former top prospect with the Cubs, injuries wiped out a huge chunk of his 2022 to 2025 seasons. He had to settle for a minor league deal with the Mariners coming into 2026. He has been crushing it in Triple-A so far this year, putting up a massive .281/.394/.548 line. Between that performance and his former prospect pedigree, the M’s have deemed him worthy of a roster spot.
In the big leagues, Seattle is sticking with the existing outfield mix, which consists of Julio Rodríguez, Randy Arozarena, Luke Raley, Dominic Canzone, Rob Refsnyder and Connor Joe. Davis can perhaps get called up if an injury arises but will keep getting reps in the minors for now.
Davis has one option remaining. Once he spends 20 days on optional assignment, that will make this his final option season. If he still has a roster spot going into next year, it’s possible there’s a greater path to playing time as Arozarena and Refsnyder are impending free agents and Joe is a potential non-tender candidate. It’s also possible that Davis gets squeezed off the roster at some point and ends up finding a better path to a big league opportunity via a trade or the waiver wire.
Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images
Mariners Acquire Robinson Ortiz From Dodgers
The Mariners and Dodgers each announced that Seattle has acquired left-hander Robinson Ortiz in exchange for minor league right-hander Tyler Gough.
Neither player has any big league experience, but the trade is likely more about the Dodgers’ desire to clear a spot on their 40-man roster. Tuesday is the deadline for teams to set their rosters in advance of the Rule 5 Draft, and Friday is the non-tender deadline, making for a very busy upcoming week of roster churning.
Interestingly, it was only 10 days ago that Los Angeles selected Ortiz’s contract to the 40-man roster, but the Dodgers have now changed course and sent Ortiz to Seattle. L.A. now has 38 places filled on its 40-man, while the Mariners have at least 39 spots addressed and potentially a full 40 depending on when Josh Naylor‘s new contract is made official.
Ortiz (who turns 26 in January) had spent his entire pro career in the Dodgers organization prior to today’s trade. Between the canceled 2020 minor league season and multiple injury problems, Ortiz pitched only 22 2/3 innings over a five-year span covering the 2020-24 seasons, but the 2025 campaign represented some return to relative normalcy. The southpaw posted a 2.73 ERA and 28.3% strikeout rate over 59 1/3 combined innings at three different minor league levels, with Ortiz making his debuts at both the Double-A and Triple-A levels last year.
A nasty slider/sinker combo has led to a lot of strikeouts for Ortiz, though control has continued to be an issue, as evidenced by his 13.2% walk rate in 2025. Seattle is notably thin in left-handed pitching, as Gabe Speier currently represents the only lefty slated to be part of the Mariners’ bullpen mix next year. Ortiz adds a bit more depth in that department, and there appears to be plenty of upside for Ortiz as a relief weapon if he can cut back on the free passes.
Gough was a ninth-round pick for the Mariners in the 2022 draft, and he posted a 4.66 ERA over 125 2/3 innings at A-level Modesto in 2023-24, starting 32 of his 33 career games. A Tommy John surgery in September 2024 has since kept Gough off the mound, though the usual TJ recovery timeline should put the right-hander in line to be ready for a healthy Spring Training come February.
Dodgers Designate Tony Gonsolin For Assignment
The Dodgers announced a series of roster moves today. MLBTR covered some of them earlier. In addition to those moves, the Dodgers have selected left-hander Robinson Ortiz to the roster, designated right-hander Tony Gonsolin for assignment and outrighted right-handed pitcher Michael Grove.
Gonsolin, 32 in May, is the biggest name here. Dating back to his 2019 debut, he has given the Dodgers 411 2/3 innings with a 3.34 earned run average, 23.2% strikeout rate and 8.9% walk rate. However, his health has been a big issue in recent years. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023 and missed the entire 2024 season. He was back on the mound in 2025 but more elbow troubles emerged. He required internal brace and flexor repair surgery in August.
When the Dodgers announced that procedure, they gave an estimated timeline of eight to ten months. Even in the best-case scenario, he’s going to be sidelined into the beginning of next season. Given that he’s missed a lot of the past three seasons, it’s anyone’s guess what kind of contributions he can make in 2026.
The Dodgers could have retained Gonsolin via arbitration for one more season. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected Gonsolin for a $5.4MM salary next year. Given the uncertainty, the Dodgers have apparently decided not to put that kind of money down in a bet on Gonsolin.
If some other club feels differently, the Dodgers could work a trade in the coming days. DFA limbo can last a week but the waiver process takes 48 hours, so that leaves the Dodgers five days for trade talks. If Gonsolin were to clear waivers, he would have the right to elect free agency.
Grove, 29 in December, tossed 149 1/3 innings for the Dodgers over the 2022 to 2024 seasons. In that time, he had a 5.48 ERA, 23.2% strikeout rate, 6.9% walk rate and 41.3% ground ball rate. Unfortunately, shoulder surgery in March wiped out his 2025 campaign. He crossed three years of service while spending this season on the injured list.
The Dodgers could have controlled him through 2028, with a projected salary of just $800K next year. However, given his uneven results and uncertain health status, they have moved on. He has enough service time to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency.
Ortiz, 26 in January, was an international signing out of the Dominican Republic back in 2017. Initially a starter, he has been pitching out of the bullpen in recent years. He has clear strikeout stuff but also control issues. He missed the 2022 and 2023 seasons due to injury. He only logged 11 innings in 2024.
Here in 2025, he tossed 59 1/3 innings across three different levels with a 2.73 ERA. He walked 13% of batters faced but also struck out opponents at a 28.3% clip and got grounders on 47.2% of balls in play. He appears to be a work in progress but the Dodgers see something they like. Adding him to the roster today prevents him from becoming a minor league free agent. He has a full slate of options and can be kept in the minors as depth as the club works on improving his command.
Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images