AL West Notes: Trout, Wesneski, Kirby, Gilbert
When Angels superstar Mike Trout first went on the injured list just over a week ago due to a bone bruise in his left knee, Trout expressed optimism that he would be able to return after a minimum stay. He’s eligible to be activated on Sunday, but that ultimately will not come to pass. Trout told reporters (including Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com) that while he’s resumed swinging a bat with no issues, he has yet to begin running.
The good news is, that could change fairly soon. Trout indicated that he’ll be traveling with the Angels to San Diego for their upcoming series against the Padres this week, and there’s “a good chance” that he’ll start running on that road trip. Trout added that the pain he was feeling in his knee that led to the IL stint has now dissipated, and the veteran is encouraged enough by the progress that a return in the somewhat near future seems to be on the table, though an exact timeline won’t be able to be established until Trout resumes running.
Obviously, the face of the Angels franchise returning to the field will be a key factor in whatever hopes the club may have of clawing its way back into the AL playoff picture. A strong start to the 2025 campaign for the Halos has largely been snuffed out at this point, as they own a lackluster 15-22 record and are currently sitting in fifth place in the AL West. Even side from the odds of playoff baseball in Anaheim, however, Trout’s return to action would be reason for celebration for fans all around the game. A slam-dunk Hall of Famer who was on track to become one of the greatest players in history just a few years ago, Trout has appeared in just 295 games since the start of the 2021 season and will be looking to have his first mostly-healthy campaign since 2022 once he returns from the injured list.
More from around the AL West…
- Astros right-hander Hayden Wesneski went on the injured list yesterday due to discomfort in his right elbow. It’s an ominous diagnosis that resulted in the righty being sent for imaging, but manager Joe Espada told reporters (including The Athletic’s Chandler Rome) this afternoon that while Wesneski’s MRI showed inflammation in his elbow, the club felt that they “couldn’t get a good read of what’s going on.” Espada added that the club’s plan is now to give Wesneski a few more days of rest in hopes that the inflammation will calm down before trying to reassess the situation and decide on next steps. It’s an update that offers little clarity on Wesneski’s path forward, much less a timetable for his return. The right-hander pitched to middling results in six starts for Houston this year after being acquired from the Cubs as part of the Kyle Tucker trade, with a 4.50 ERA in 32 innings of work.
- The Mariners are without co-aces George Kirby and Logan Gilbert at the moment. Kirby has yet to pitch this year after beginning the season on the shelf due to shoulder inflammation, while tightness in Gilbert’s forearm shut him down near the end of last month. Seattle GM Justin Hollander told reporters (including Daniel Kramer of MLB.com) yesterday that Kirby would make one more rehab start after today’s outing with Triple-A Tacoma. That would put him in line to be activated at some point during the club’s upcoming road trip, perhaps either against the White Sox or the Astros. Gilbert, meanwhile, is further from a return given that he’s still just playing catch. Hollander did suggest, however, that the righty could resume throwing off the mound in the coming days. Emerson Hancock and Logan Evans are filling in for Kirby and Gilbert in the club’s rotation in the meantime.
Mariners, Casey Lawrence Agree To Minor League Deal (Again)
Right-hander Casey Lawrence is back with the Mariners — again. The two sides have agreed to yet another minor league pact, per the Mariners’ transaction log at MLB.com. Lawrence is represented by Big League Management.
If and when the 37-year-old veteran makes his way back to the major league roster, it’ll be his fourth stint with Seattle in 2025 alone. It’s been a wild year for Lawrence, who re-signed with the Mariners as a minor league free agent over the winter. This is the third season in which he’s logged big league time with the M’s, though his prior stints haven’t involved such frequent rides on the DFA carousel.
Lawrence was claimed by the Blue Jays on the heels of his most recent Mariners DFA, also marking the third season in which he’s suited up for Toronto. The Jays designated him after one long relief outing (2 2/3 innings, three runs allowed). He elected free agency after passing through waivers and is now back in the Pacific Northwest.
Across his three stints with Seattle this season, Lawrence has pitched 10 innings and allowed four earned runs (3.60 ERA) on 14 hits and a walk with four strikeouts. Coupled with his lone appearance in Toronto, Lawrence has a 4.97 ERA on the season. He’s fanned just 8.3% of the hitters he’s faced but also has just a 1.7% walk rate. He’s also made a pair of starts with the Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate, totaling 10 1/3 innings and holding opponents to five runs on 13 hits with an 8-to-3 K/BB ratio (18.2 K%, 6.8 BB%).
Lawrence spent the entire 2024 season in the rotation for the Mariners’ Tacoma affiliate as well, so despite the frequent DFAs — four times already in a six-week-old season — there’s probably some stability with regard to his living situation. It may seem inconvenient to the player or even callous on the surface, but Lawrence seems comfortable with an arrangement that effectively renders him the 41st man on Seattle’s 40-man roster. Teams and players are typically up-front with one another in situations like this one; it’s not as though Lawrence is being blindsided by the frequent removal from the roster. The Mariners will likely continue to shuttle him on and off the 40-man roster when they need length in the bullpen or a spot start.
Orioles Acquire Luis F. Castillo From Mariners
The Mariners announced that they’ve traded righty Luis F. Castillo to Baltimore for cash. Seattle had designated him for assignment yesterday as the corresponding move for the Leody Taveras waiver claim. Baltimore optioned Castillo to Triple-A Norfolk and designated lefty Walter Pennington for assignment to create a 40-man roster spot.
Castillo, the now-former teammate of the Seattle All-Star starter of the same name, has five major league appearances under his belt. He signed a minor league deal over the offseason and was selected onto the big league roster in early April. Castillo took a pair of turns through the rotation. He surrendered seven runs (six earned) on 12 hits and seven walks across seven innings. He struck out five.
Those were Castillo’s first two major league starts. His previous big league experience consisted of a trio of relief outings for the Tigers in 2022. Castillo spent the next two seasons in Japan. He didn’t miss many bats but managed a 2.96 ERA over 94 1/3 innings for the Orix Buffaloes a year ago. The 30-year-old has made four starts for Seattle’s top farm team in Tacoma. He has managed a 12:5 strikeout-to-walk ratio while surrendering eight runs through 14 1/3 frames.
Castillo sits in the 91-92 MPH range with both his four-seam fastball and sinker. There’s not much swing-and-miss upside but he has a full slate of minor league options. He’ll join Brandon Young and Chayce McDermott as depth starters who are on optional assignment to Norfolk.
Pennington, 27, heads back into DFA limbo for the second time in as many weeks. He was designated for assignment and released by the Rangers at the end of April. Baltimore grabbed him off release waivers. He made one appearance apiece at High-A Aberdeen and with Norfolk. Pennington hasn’t been able to find the strike zone, walking six of 10 batters faced while allowing seven runs (five earned) in one combined inning.
Initially drafted by the Royals, Pennington was traded to Texas last summer in the Michael Lorenzen deadline deal. He’s only a season removed from posting a 2.13 ERA with a 32.2% strikeout rate over 63 1/3 Triple-A innings. Pennington had been pitching at the Rangers’ complex before they moved on, and his pair of appearances with Baltimore affiliates were clearly alarming. He’ll likely wind up back on waivers in the next few days. If he goes unclaimed, he would not have the requisite service time to decline an outright assignment.
Mariners Claim Leody Taveras
May 7: The M’s announced today that Taveras has reported to the team with Thomas optioned to Triple-A as the corresponding move.
May 6: The Mariners have claimed outfielder Leody Taveras from the Rangers, according to announcements from both clubs. The Rangers recalled outfielder Evan Carter to take his spot on the roster, a move that was previously reported. Right-hander Luis F. Castillo, not to be confused with Luis Castillo, has been designated for assignment by the M’s to open a 40-man spot for the claim. An active roster spot will need to be opened whenever Taveras reports to the M’s.
Taveras, 26, will join a new organization for the first time. The Rangers signed him as an international amateur back in 2015, giving him a notable bonus of $2.1MM. He went on to become the club’s top prospect and one of the top 100 in the league for a few years. As a major leaguer, he has been useful but not quite a star. His speed and defense have allowed him to make notable contributions for the Rangers, though his offense has been less consistent.
When he first arrived in the majors, he struck out quite a bit, but he was still in his early 20s at that time. In 2023, he managed to get the punchouts down to a manageable 21.1% rate. He still didn’t walk much, just a 6.3% rate, but he put the ball over the fence 14 times. That all led to a .266/.312/.421 line and a 100 wRC+, indicating he was exactly league average at the plate.
Given his other talents, average offense was quite acceptable. He also stole 14 bases and got strong marks for his outfield defense. FanGraphs considered him to be worth 2.4 wins above replacement on the year as he helped the Rangers charge to their first ever championship.
He fell of a bit last year. His walk rate actually jumped to 7.9% and his strikeout rate essentially held steady, bumping ever so slightly to 21.2%. His home run total also didn’t change much, dropping to 12, but with 25 fewer plate appearances. His batting average on balls in play dropped to .272, after being at .318 the year before. He finished the 2024 season with a .229/.289/.352 line and 82 wRC+. Still, with his 23 steals and his glovework, he produced 1.1 fWAR.
Here in 2025, his offense has dropped further. Through 82 plate appearances, he has a 2.4% walk rate, 28% strikeout rate, .241/.259/.342 line and 68 wRC+. That’s been part of a larger constellation of struggles in Texas, as guys like Marcus Semien and Joc Pederson are also struggling badly. Jake Burger‘s slump was steep enough to get optioned to the minors while Taveras was placed on waivers. The club also fired offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker and hired Bret Boone as a hitting coach in an attempt to kickstart the offense.
For the Mariners, it’s a buy-low move, with some echoes of their Víctor Robles pickup. Robles was also a notable prospect with the Nationals who had struggled to click in the majors. The M’s sntached him up last year after the Nats released him. Robles then performed well with Seattle, enough that they signed him to a small extension last year, just a couple of months after bringing him aboard.
Robles has unfortunately been sidelined by a dislocated left shoulder and is probably still a couple of months away from returning. Luke Raley replaced him in right field but he recently hit the IL himself due to an oblique strain. Recently, they’ve been playing guys like Rhylan Thomas and Miles Mastrobuoni out there, which is less than ideal. Thomas has just ten major league plate appearances so far and hasn’t done much with them. Mastrobuoni is a light-hitting utility guy. Dylan Moore was reinstated from the injured list today but he could be needed on the infield, with Ben Williamson producing subpar offense from third base in his first 70 big league plate appearances.
Presumably, Taveras will be in the mix to help out in right. He has only ever played center field in his major league career, though the M’s have Julio Rodríguez there every day. Taveras has played the corners in the minors and most center fielders can move to left or right without issue. Some platoon matchups in the lineup are possible. Taveras is a switch-hitter with better numbers as a lefty. Williamson and Moore are both right-handed, so perhaps they can take third and right field when tough lefties are on the mound.
Though the Mariners are “buying low” in the sense that Taveras has been performing poorly of late and was readily available on the wire, there is a notable cost here. Taveras qualified for arbitration ahead of the 2024 season as a Super Two guy and earned $2.55MM last year. In January, he and the Rangers avoided arbitration for this year, agreeing to a $4.75MM salary. That leaves about $3.7MM left to be paid out, which the M’s are taking on by making this claim.
That’s a fairly small amount in the baseball world, where many guys are making eight-figure salaries annually, but it’s not nothing for the Mariners. They reportedly had about $15MM to spend this winter. They ended up giving out less than that, bringing back Jorge Polanco and signing Donovan Solano for a combined $11.25MM. Perhaps not coincidentally, adding Taveras and his remaining salary leads to a sum pretty close to $15MM.
Maybe that will give the club a bit less wiggle room to add at the deadline or perhaps ownership will greenlight further spending if they keep playing well. Time will tell on that. But if the bet on Taveras pays off in Robles-like fashion, there could be benefits beyond this season. He is still controllable via arbitration for another two years after this one. He will have to perform better over the rest of the season in order to be tendered a contract but that’s exactly what the Mariners are hoping for.
If Taveras is able to get back on track, the Rangers might end up kicking themselves, especially since there’s a chance he’ll be thriving with a division rival for the next few years. But there’s no guarantee of that happening and they’re probably happy about the cost savings in the short term. It was reported in the winter that Texas wanted to get under the tax line in 2025 and that plan was confirmed by owner Ray Davis. They came into the season a few million under the line, according to public estimates, though with a clear chance of going over. They have a number of players with sizable contract bonuses and those would bump up the club’s tax number if triggered, something that MLBTR did a deep dive on last month.
With the M’s claiming Taveras and the rest of this year’s salary, that drops the Rangers further away from the $241MM base threshold of the tax. As of a few weeks ago, RosterResource and Cot’s Baseball Contracts had the Rangers’ CBT number at $236.4MM and $237.8MM respectively but those estimates are now listed at $234.1MM and $235.5MM.
Castillo, 30, was added to the roster in April. George Kirby started the season on the injured list and Emerson Hancock got lit up in his first start of the year. Castillo made a couple of spot starts before being optioned to the minors. Hancock has since come back up to retake a rotation spot with better results. Logan Gilbert is now on the IL as well, prompting a Logan Evans promotion, but Kirby is on a rehab assignment and should be able to rejoin the club soon.
The M’s are evidently willing to sacrifice a bit of rotation depth, so Castillo goes into DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so any trade possibilities would have to be explored in the next five days. Castillo’s MLB track record is pretty small but he’s been decent in the minors and in Japan. From 2022 to 2025, he has a 2.44 ERA, 22.6% strikeout rate and 6.7% walk rate in 59 minor league innings. He also pitched 143 1/3 NPB innings over 2023 and 2024 with a 3.01 ERA. Since he’s still optionable, he may have appeal for clubs looking to add some Triple-A rotation depth.
Photo courtesy of Robert Edwards, Imagn Images
Mariners Reinstate Matt Brash From Injured List
The Mariners announced that right-hander Matt Brash has been reinstated from the 15-day injured list. He underwent UCL surgery last year and will be making his first major league appearance since the 2023 season whenever he gets into a game. Right-hander Troy Taylor was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma as the corresponding move.
It’s a little bit of an early birthday present for Brash, who will turn 27 on May 12th. Prior to his recent absence, he was in the process of establishing himself as a potent bullpen weapon for the Mariners. Coming into 2022, the M’s were still using him as a starter. He made his major league debut with five starts early that year but posted a 7.65 earned run average. They optioned him down to the minors and started converting him to relief.
Since then, the results have been excellent. He was recalled in July and tossed 30 2/3 innings out of the bullpen the rest of the way. In that time, he had a 2.35 ERA, 33.9% strikeout rate and 12.6% walk rate. He added 3 1/3 scoreless innings in the postseason. In 2023, his first full season as a reliever, he logged 70 2/3 innings with a 3.06 ERA, 34.7% strikeout rate and much-improved 9.4% walk rate.
Since getting called up in July of 2022, he has a 2.84 ERA over 101 1/3 innings with a 34.5% strikeout rate and 10.3% walk rate. He became a part of the club’s high-leverage group, earning four saves and 33 holds in that time.
Unfortunately, that’s been on pause for over a year. He experienced some arm troubles early in 2024 and eventually went under the knife in May. Now that he’s back, it’ll be a nice boost for the Seattle bullpen. Jackson Kowar is still recovering from his own UCL surgery. Gregory Santos recently underwent knee surgery and was quickly transferred to the 60-day IL, meaning he won’t be coming back anytime soon.
The club’s relievers have a collective 3.69 ERA this year, which puts them just outside the top ten. However, their 18.9% strikeout rate is actually 28th in the league, ahead of just the Cardinals and Marlins. Assuming Brash gets back to his previous strikeout ways, he’ll give them a nice bump in that department. Andrés Muñoz is the Seattle closer but Brash should jump in and take one of the prime setup roles.
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images
Mariners Outright Sauryn Lao
Mariners right-hander Sauryn Lao went unclaimed on outright waivers after his recent DFA, the team announced. He’s been assigned outright to Triple-A Tacoma. Lao has neither three years of MLB service nor a prior outright assignment, so he does not have the ability to elect free agency. He’ll remain with the M’s as a depth arm.
Lao, 25, is a former Dodgers infield prospect who converted to the mound in 2023. He’s posted a 3.61 ERA in 122 minor league innings since making that switch, including a 2.25 earned run average in 12 innings with the Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma this year. He’s punched out 26.6% of his opponents with the Rainiers and limited walks to a 6.5% clip. Lao made one big league appearance — his MLB debut — with Seattle prior to his DFA, during which he pitched 1 2/3 innings with no earned runs and three strikeouts.
The Seattle bullpen has been solid, with a 3.70 earned run average, but not quite as effective as many predicted heading into the season. Andres Munoz, Collin Snider, Carlos Vargas, Gabe Speier and Casey Lawrence have all provided quality results, but the M’s have received shakier performances from Eduard Bazardo, Trent Thornton, Tayler Saucedo and the now-injured Gregory Santos. They’ll get a huge arm back soon if Matt Brash can finish off his minor league rehab stint without issue, but there’s enough uncertainty in Seattle’s middle relief group that Lao could work his way back to the big leagues with continued production in Tacoma.
Mariners Sign Bryan Shaw To Minor League Deal
The Mariners signed veteran right-handed reliever Bryan Shaw to a minor league deal yesterday. The team never formally announced it, but Shaw’s signing appears on their transaction log at MLB.com and the righty pitched in last night’s game for Triple-A Tacoma.
Shaw’s return to the Mariners organization — he also pitched for Seattle in 2020 — didn’t go particularly well. He retired only one of the five batters he faced, allowing a hit and three walks (one intentional) to the others. The 37-year-old right-hander had previously yielded five earned runs in 1 2/3 innings for the Reds’ top affiliate in Louisville before being cut loose.
Shaw pitched only four big league innings last year, his fewest single-season total since making his MLB debut with the Diamondbacks in 2011. It’s been several years since his peak as an iron man in Cleveland’s bullpen, but the well-traveled Shaw was an effective middle reliever as recently as 2023 with the White Sox. He tossed 45 2/3 innings that year and recorded a respectable 4.14 ERA with a 21.1% strikeout rate and 8.9% walk rate.
From 2013-17, Shaw tied lefty Tony Watson for the MLB lead among relievers at 358 2/3 innings. Shaw’s 378 total appearances during that time were by far the most in MLB. He wasn’t just a rubber arm, either; in those 358 2/3 innings, Shaw logged a 3.11 ERA and ranked third among all relievers with 110 holds (in addition to nine rogue saves). He’s had more shaky seasons than good ones in the time since that peak run. It seems fair to presume that Shaw’s nearly unrivaled workload took some toll on his arm, but it’s worth noting that he still has only one appearance on the MLB injured list in his entire career: a three-week stint due to a calf strain with the Rockies in 2018.
Luke Raley Out At Least Six Weeks; Mariners Select Rhylan Thomas
12:55pm: Raley will be sidelined for at least the next six weeks, general manager Justin Hollander announced to the Mariners beat (link via Adam Jude of the Seattle Times). Raley suffered the strain during batting practice yesterday.
12:25pm: The Mariners announced Wednesday that they’ve designated right-hander Sauryn Lao for assignment and selected the contract of outfielder Rhylan Thomas from Triple-A Tacoma. Thomas will take the active roster spot of outfielder Luke Raley, who is headed to the 10-day injured list due to a right oblique strain.
Raley’s injury comes at a particularly poor time. The 30-year-old slugger has been in the process of shaking off a dreadful early slump — like the majority of Seattle’s offense — and had heated up with a .273/.419/.424 output over his past 43 trips to the plate. Even while he was slumping early on, Raley maintained a patient approach and is now up to 10 free passes on the season. His 11.9% walk rate is nearly double that of the 5.9% he posted in 2024, and he’s also posting career-best batted-ball metrics (91.6 mph average exit velocity, 49% hard-hit rate).
Raley becomes the second Mariners right fielder lost to the injured list before the calendar even flips to May. He’d already shifted from first base to right field to cover for the injured Victor Robles, who’s out until midseason.
Thomas, 25, came to the Mariners last summer in the trade sending reliever Ryne Stanek to the Mets. The former 11th-round pick has enjoyed a terrific start to his season in Tacoma, slashing .319/.363/.362 in 104 plate appearances. He’s always posted low strikeout rates in the minors but has taken his hit tool to new heights in 2025, fanning just four times so far (3.8%). Thomas has never hit for power and has only one round-tripper and one double on the current season, but he’s 6-for-9 in stolen base attempts. He’ll give the Mariners some speed in the outfield mix and the type of high-contact bat the team has lacked in recent seasons.
Thomas, Samad Taylor and Miles Mastrobuoni all figure to see time in the outfield while Raley is out. Utilityman Dylan Moore would’ve been an option as well, but he just landed on the injured list this week due to shoulder inflammation. The M’s will go with a patchwork group for the time being, although given the length of Raley’s absence and the typically active nature of Seattle’s front office — this past offseason notwithstanding — it stands to reason that the Mariners could add to that mix via waivers, free agency or a small trade. True difference-making regulars aren’t likely to be available until closer to July’s trade deadline, but there are veterans on minor league deals and fringe big league outfielders who’ll be designated for assignment throughout the course of Raley’s IL stint.
The 25-year-old Lao was only selected to the big league roster last week. He made his MLB debut with the M’s on April 22 and pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings with three strikeouts. He was optioned back to Tacoma shortly thereafter.
Lao originally signed out of the Dominican Republic with the Dodgers and spent the first four seasons of his career as an infielder. He moved to the mound in 2023 and hasn’t looked back. The 6’2″ righty has a career 3.61 ERA in 122 minor league frames, including a 2.25 mark in 12 Triple-A innings this season. Lao doesn’t have the glaring command troubles displayed by so many former position players who transition to the mound; he’s walked only 6.5% of his minor league opponents against a robust 26.6% strikeout rate.
Lao is averaging a pedestrian 92.9 mph on his four-seamer in Triple-A and sat at just 90.7 mph with the pitch in his lone MLB appearance, which could work against him, but Lao has a solid (if brief) track record on the mound and a full slate of minor league options remaining. The track record and slate of options could appeal to another club. The Mariners will have five days to trade Lao or place him on outright waivers. If he hits waivers, that’d be a 48-hour process, meaning the maximum length of his DFA window will be one week.
Mariners Select Samad Taylor, Place Dylan Moore On IL
The Mariners announced that infielder/outfielder Samad Taylor has been selected to the roster. He will take the active roster spot of infielder/outfielder Dylan Moore, who has been placed on the 10-day injured list. The IL placement, which is retroactive to April 26th, is due to right hip inflammation. To open a 40-man spot for Taylor, right-hander Gregory Santos has been transferred to the 60-day IL.
Moore has been out to a red-hot start this year, with a .286/.346/.557 line to this point while bouncing around to all four infield spots and right field. He earned American League Player of the Week honors for the week of April 14th to 20th. It seems this hip issue will put that on pause. He hasn’t played since Friday, which is why the M’s were able to backdate his IL placement. The club hasn’t provided any updates but it’s possible he could rejoin them in a week if he just needs a bit of rest.
For now, Taylor will come up and take his spot. Like Moore, he’s capable of bouncing around the diamond. In the big leagues, he has experience at second base, third base, center field and left field. He has also played some shortstop in the minors, though not this year.
Offensively, he has hit just .215/.288/.277 in his 74 big league plate appearances, but with much better numbers on the farm. Dating back to the start of 2022, he has stepped to the plate 1,392 times at the Triple-A level with a .277/.371/.427 line and 108 wRC+. That includes a strong .321/.389/.560 showing so far this year. Speed is also a big part of Taylor’s game. He has stolen at least 23 bases in each minor league season dating back to 2018, including 50 last year. He already has six so far in 2025.
He will presumably move around to various positions for the M’s, perhaps doing some pinch running as well. He still has an option remaining, so he could be easily sent back down to the minors if Moore gets healthy relatively quickly.
As for Santos, it was reported last week that he would be undergoing surgery to repair cartilage in his right knee. His exact timeline isn’t clear but this transfer to the 60-day IL indicates that the club expects him to be out beyond the middle of June.
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images
Blue Jays Claim Casey Lawrence
The Blue Jays have claimed right-hander Casey Lawrence off waivers from the Mariners, according to announcements from both clubs. The righty had been designated for assignment by Seattle over the weekend. The Jays opened a 40-man roster spot yesterday by transferring Ryan Burr to the 60-day injured list. Lawrence is out of options so the Jays will need to open an active roster spot once he reports to the club.
Lawrence, 37, is a veteran swingman who has bounced between the Jays, Mariners and Cardinals in his big league career. He has often served as a multi-inning reliever, soaking up innings to save an overworked pitching staff from further taxation.
This year, he has essentially been the 41st man on Seattle’s 40-man roster. He started the season with the Mariners on a minor league deal. They have selected his contract to the roster three times. In all three cases, he was designated for assignment within a few days. In the first two instances, he cleared waivers and then returned to the big league club once needed. He has a 3.60 earned run average in ten innings over four appearances.
This time, he didn’t clear waivers, as the Jays now have a need for such a pitcher. They recently optioned Easton Lucas, dropping their five-man rotation down to four. Thanks to some off-days, the club planned to go with a four-man rotation for a while, but a rainout on Saturday seemingly altered those plans.
Both Kevin Gausman and Chris Bassitt had to start yesterday to cover the doubleheader, which was the result of the postponement. The club is off today then has Bowden Francis on schedule for tomorrow. José Berríos could start on regular rest on Wednesday after starting on Friday. But neither Gausman nor Bassitt would be on regular rest for Wednesday’s game. Jake Bloss started for Triple-A Buffalo yesterday and won’t be an option by Wednesday either. Lucas was only optioned a week ago, on April 21. He can’t return to the big league within 15 days of that move unless replacing an injured player on the roster. Eric Lauer is an option as he’s been in the Triple-A rotation and tossed five innings on Thursday, though he’s not on the 40-man roster at present.
Perhaps Lawrence will make a spot start or simply give the club a long relief option for the next few days. Paxton Schultz tossed 57 pitches in relief of Gausman in the first game of yesterday’s twin bill, one of six relievers the club used yesterday. Schultz might not be available for a few days after that, so Lawrence could step in as a multi-inning option out of the bullpen.
It’s entirely possible that it will be another short stint for Lawrence on a club’s roster, just with the Jays this time instead of the Mariners, something he recently spoke to Tim Booth of The Seattle Times about. “I think I’m used to kind of the movement of it,” Lawrence said. “And I think it’s one of those things where you understand your role in the team and you’re willing to do whatever is going to help the team. Right now, it’s kind of doing this.”
Though living out of a suitcase is surely a challenge, Lawrence seems to be focused on appreciating what time in the majors he does have left. “I’ve been fortunate, like I said, and I never take it for granted,” Lawrence said. “Especially when you’re like this, you’re kind of riding the roller coaster a little bit. So I take every day for what it’s worth, and really try to be where my feet are, just be a part of the team.”
Though he’s still carving out some playing time, he’s self-aware enough that his mind has wandered to what’s next. “I know that at 37, I’m on the back end of my career. And I know when I’m done playing, I want to get into player development or front office, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say, I’ve had those conversations of, ‘Am I ready for that yet?’ But I’m not there yet,” he said.
Photo courtesy of Stephen Brashear, Imagn Images