Mariners Place Matt Brash On IL With Lat Strain
The Mariners announced a series of roster moves today. Infielder/outfielder Miles Mastrobuoni has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list and right-hander Domingo González has been recalled from Triple-A Tacoma. In corresponding active roster moves, infielder Ryan Bliss has been optioned to Tacoma while right-hander Matt Brash has been placed on the 15-day injured list with a lat strain, retroactive to June 9th. To open a 40-man spot for Mastrobuoni, righty Yosver Zulueta has been designated for assignment.
More to come.
Mariners Acquire Carson Fulmer
The Pirates have traded right-hander Carson Fulmer to the Mariners, reports Alex Stumpf. Fulmer was not on Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster and won’t need a spot with Seattle, unless his minor league deal contained some kind of opt-out or upward mobility clause. It’s unclear what the Bucs are getting in return but it may be a cash deal.
Fulmer, 32, has appeared in nine major league seasons. He has thrown 256 2/3 innings, allowing 5.44 earned runs per nine. His 20% strikeout rate and 11.9% walk rate are both a bit worse than league average, while his 40.9% ground ball rate is right around par.
He finished last season with the Angels but was outrighted off the roster at the end of the campaign. He was able to elect free agency and later signed a minor league deal with the Pirates. He has been pitching for Triple-A Indianapolis this year, logging 34 frames over 16 appearances. His 6.35 ERA in that time certainly doesn’t look good, though it’s likely a bit misleading. His .330 batting average on balls in play and 63% strand rate are both to the unfortunate side. His 17.5% strikeout rate this year isn’t great but his 43.1% grounder rate is decent.
If the Mariners plan to add Fulmer to the 40-man roster, he is out of options and would therefore need to go on the active roster. If not, he’ll provide them with some extra depth capable of pitching multiple innings.
Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images
Randy Dobnak Has Upward Mobility Clause In Mariners Deal
Randy Dobnak signed a minor league deal with the Mariners last November, and he’s spent the first 10 weeks of the season with Triple-A Tacoma. However, Ari Alexander of 7News Boston reports that the right-hander has a June 15 upward mobility clause in his contract. Presuming Dobnak triggers the clause, Seattle will have to offer him to the league’s other 29 teams. If another club wants to put him on its 40-man roster, the Mariners must either add him to their 40-man or trade him to a team that’s willing to do so. If no other teams are interested in rostering Dobnak, he will remain in Seattle’s minor league system. It’s worth noting that Dobnak still has minor league options and less than five years of major league service time, so a team that adds him to its 40-man roster could still keep him stashed at Triple-A.
They say there’s no such thing as too much pitching depth, but the 2026 Mariners might be the closest thing you’ll find to an exception. They’re currently running a six-man rotation of Bryan Woo, Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Emerson Hancock, Bryce Miller, and Luis Castillo. They also have Cooper Criswell in their bullpen and veteran Casey Lawrence pitching alongside Dobnak in the Tacoma Rainiers rotation. While the M’s would surely like to keep Dobnak around as depth, the question is whether or not they’re willing to give up a 40-man spot to do so. They’re currently running a seven-man bullpen to accommodate their six-man rotation, and they have four players on the 10-day IL. That means space on their 40-man is at a premium.
Most teams aren’t as well-off as the Mariners in the starting pitching department, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see someone else trade for Dobnak. The 31-year-old has 39 games of MLB experience and perfectly respectable numbers at Triple-A this year. He has pitched into at least the fifth inning in all 12 of his starts, averaging 5 1/3 per outing. While his 4.50 ERA doesn’t jump off the page, it’s important to keep in mind that he’s playing in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. His ERA- is 85, which is 15% better than the league average, and his 59.9% groundball rate is the highest among all qualified Triple-A pitchers.
Photo courtesy of Frank Bowen IV, Imagn Images
Mariners Place J.P. Crawford On 10-Day IL
The Mariners have placed shortstop J.P. Crawford on the 10-day injured list, three days after a hit-by-pitch forced him from the game. They’re calling the injury a right hand contusion. In Crawford’s place, Seattle has recalled infielder Ryan Bliss from Triple-A Tacoma.
It’s a poorly timed injury for the Mariners, as Crawford’s recent play has played a big role in Seattle’s climb to the top of the AL West. Dating back to late April, the veteran shortstop has slashed .258/.366/.500 with nine homers, a pair of doubles and a 12.7% walk rate in 142 trips to the plate. He’s done so while handling shortstop duties on a near-daily basis, though Crawford recently volunteered to begin working out at the hot corner and could slide over to third base as a means of opening more shortstop work for top prospect Colt Emerson. Crawford is a free agent at season’s end, whereas Emerson is viewed as the shortstop of the future.
Overall, Crawford is hitting .228/.356/.409 this season. By measure of wRC+, he’s been about 26% better than average — thanks largely to that hearty on-base percentage. His glovework at shortstop no longer grades plus (or even average), which is also partly why he’s been tinkering with a move to third base.
With Crawford sidelined, Emerson figures to handle shortstop for at least the next week. He’s gotten out to a .242/.319/.548 slash with four homers through his first 69 trips to the plate at the major league level. Since Brendan Donovan is on the shelf again — and has been since May 15 due to a groin strain — third base reps will fall primarily to Patrick Wisdom and Bliss for the time being. Bliss has been more of a second baseman in his career, but he’s played 56 innings at the hot corner in Tacoma recently.
It’s an unenviable spot for now, but since Crawford’s injury doesn’t seem too severe, the Mariners can hope they’re not that far from having a healthy Donovan, Crawford and Emerson to man the left side of the infield in some capacity. Donovan could always shift to the outfield corners or second base at some point, too, but the Mariners have gotten good production from Randy Arozarena in left field, Luke Raley in right (against righties anyhow), Cole Young at second base and Dominic Canzone at designated hitter. The exact alignment will be determined by the overall health of the roster, but Seattle has quality hitters at just about every position if they can get everyone on the active roster at the same time.
Mariners Unlikely To Trade From Top Five In Rotation
Despite countless rumors over the years, the Mariners have long been resistant to the idea of trading from their strong rotation. The stance looks to continue at this year’s deadline, as Adam Jude of the Seattle Times writes that the M’s “have given no indication they are willing to move any of their top five starting pitchers this summer.” That being said, Jude speculates that “come July…Luis Castillo’s name figures to resurface in trade chatter.”
The caveat underlines the fact that Castillo is simply no longer viewed as one of the Mariners’ best rotation options. This was reflected when Castillo was twice used as a piggyback starter behind Bryce Miller once Miller returned from a season-opening stint on the 15-day injured list. Emerson Hancock pitched so well in Miller’s regular rotation spot that the M’s kept him on a regular turn, and instead opted for the piggyback strategy on a temporary basis. This didn’t entirely sit well with Miller or Castillo, but the Mariners then moved to a six-man rotation that they’ll employ until the middle of June, once the club is through a busy stretch of the schedule.
It remains to be seen how the M’s will re-adjust back to a five-man rotation at that point, particularly since Castillo has looked a little more like his old self after a rough start to the season. Castillo has allowed one earned run over his last nine innings of work, though his ERA still sits at 5.53 over 55 1/3 total frames. Castillo’s 4.08 SIERA is much more palatable and his walk and strikeout rates are around league average, but the veteran right-hander has also allowed a ton of hard contact.
Most teams would be more than satisfied with this sort of production from a back-end starter, yet Seattle is in the enviable position of having too many starters for too few rotation slots. Beyond Hancock’s breakout, George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, and Bryan Woo are all pitching well, and Miller has looked tremendous since his return. If this wasn’t enough starting depth, the M’s have a few starters (i.e. Dane Dunning, Randy Dobnak, Jhonathan Diaz, Casey Lawrence) with MLB experience down at Triple-A Tacoma, plus there has been speculation that top prospect Kade Anderson could go from Double-A to the majors before 2026 is over.
Dipping too far down the depth chart has never held much appeal for the Mariners, however, though Hancock’s emergence has been a big help on that front. The “you can never have enough pitching” mantra rings especially loudly for a team aiming to make a World Series run, so the M’s would be hesitant to move even Castillo unless they were sure they had enough starting pitching to cover a lot of extra postseason innings.
Castillo’s contract is another reason why the veteran has been the starter the Mariners have at least been open to moving, even as rival teams have surely asked more about the younger and more controllable arms. Castillo is owed roughly $14.6MM for the remainder of the 2026 season, $22.75MM in 2027, and a $25MM option for 2028 will vest if Castillo pitches at least 180 innings in 2027 and finishes the season healthy.
The no-trade protection that existed in Castillo’s extension is now up, so he can be dealt without his approval. That removes one potential obstacle to a deal, though the price tag remains steep for a 33-year-old pitcher who might be a mid-rotation starter at best at this stage of his career. Seattle probably doesn’t have interest in eating much or any of Castillo’s salary, and trading Castillo for another player with a hefty contract only has limited appeal, unless the M’s felt this hypothetical player would help will another need (probably on offense).
AL West Notes: Miller, Castillo, Langford, Rangers, Moore
Bryce Miller will start and Luis Castillo will again be the piggyback pitcher for the Mariners on Sunday, but the team will then adopt a six-man rotation, the Seattle Times’ Adam Jude writes. Friday’s game with the Diamondbacks kicked off a stretch of 16 games in 17 days for the Mariners, so shifting back to a six-man rotation will help keep the entire pitching staff fresh. The rotation plan will then be re-evaluated on June 15 (Seattle’s next off-day), and sticking with the six-man format could be an option, if the M’s don’t again use two starters in a piggyback set-up.
Simply establishing a plan for the next couple of weeks is a positive step for the Mariners, as both Miller and Castillo weren’t pleased with what they felt was a lack of communication from the club. Manager Dan Wilson, pitching coach Pete Woodworth, president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto, and GM Justin Hollander all spoke with the two right-handers this week and now everyone seems to be “on the same page,” as Miller put it. Emerson Hancock‘s breakout season has given Seattle six viable starters and a bit of awkwardness in how to best manage everyone’s workload, though in the big picture, there’s no such things as too much good pitching for a team hoping to make an even deeper playoff run.
More from around the AL West…
- Wyatt Langford is slated to start a Triple-A rehab assignment today. The Rangers outfielder hasn’t played since April 21 due to a right forearm strain, and his stay on the 10-day injured list has been longer than expected since Langford’s previous attempt at a minor league rehab stint was paused due to more forearm discomfort. Pegged by many as a candidate for a true breakout in 2026, Langford got off to a slow start before his IL placement, hitting only .238/.274/.363 in his first 84 plate appearances.
- In addition to Langford, Rangers manager Skip Schumaker also gave reporters (including the Dallas Morning News’ Shawn McFarland) updates on two other sidelined players. Corey Seager is set for a live batting practice today, a week after a previous live BP session was postponed due to more soreness in the shortstop’s ailing back. “The running has been maybe the main thing” holding Seager back, Schumaker said, through Seager has been able to play catch and take swings. Josh Smith has also rejoined the Rangers and restarted baseball activities, though as with Seager, there isn’t any timetable for when Smith might be back in the Texas lineup. A right glute strain sent Smith to the 10-day IL on May 4, but what was initially expected to be a minimal IL stint was extended due to wrist soreness, and then the more serious matter of a bout of viral meningitis that led to a hospital stay.
- Former Angels top prospect Christian Moore exclusively played second base in his first two pro seasons but he has split his time between second and third base this season at Triple-A Salt Lake. Moore is now getting a look at the entirely new position of left field, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register writes. Angels assistant GM Joey Prebynski said Moore will be used at all three positions, and “for us, it’s just about continuing to get him reps out there, seeing balls off the bat in left field.” No team in baseball has gotten less from its left fielders in 2026 than the Angels, as Josh Lowe‘s struggles (and subsequent demotion to Triple-A) have been the biggest reason why the position has been a black hole for the team. With the Oswald Peraza/Adam Frazier platoon in place at second base, Moore’s next trip to the majors could very well see him get much more time away from his natural position. Moore made his MLB debut last season and hit only .198/.284/.370 over 184 PA, but he has continued to crush Triple-A pitching in his second year at the top minor league level, with a .282/.439/.481 to show for 171 PA for Salt Lake in 2026.
Mariners Notes: Crawford, Rotation, Castillo
J.P. Crawford has been a key part of the Mariners’ lineup since joining the club in 2019. In over 3,800 plate appearances with Seattle, Crawford has batted .248/.341/.369 with a 107 wRC+ while providing serviceable defense at shortstop, including 9 Defensive Runs Saved as recently as 2024. That said, the recently extended Colt Emerson is Seattle’s shortstop of the future, and Crawford, in his final season of club control, has volunteered to play third base to accommodate Emerson.
Crawford’s willingness to play the hot corner will add to his value in free agency, and it may also help his chances of returning to the Mariners. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports that Crawford’s agent met with general manager Justin Hollander following Crawford’s asking to try third base, reiterating the latter’s desire to stay in Seattle. Hollander indicated a Crawford reunion is “absolutely” possible. “Obviously we’ll talk about it after the season and see how it goes. But he wants to be here and there’s definitely a place for him,” Hollander said of Crawford.
Those comments are not surprising for a general manager speaking of a long-tenured and well-liked player. That said, Crawford’s willingness to move positions and positive clubhouse reputation make the third base experiment worth exploring before he reaches free agency. Crawford’s work at short has been poor since the start of 2025, adding up to -9 DRS and -19 Outs Above Average. He has 174 2/3 innings of big league experience at third, all coming with the Phillies from 2017-18. To his credit, Crawford was worth 7 DRS and 3 OAA in that sample.
Of course, that’s a small sample from eight years ago. In contrast, a look at Crawford’s Statcast page gives reason for pessimism. His range is in the first percentile, while his arm strength 77.5 MPH arm strength in 2026 falls in just the 17th percentile. In terms of lateral moves, Crawford has been worth -10 OAA since the start of 2025 when moving toward third base. When moving toward first base, that improves slightly to -4 OAA. Playing third base would result in more lateral moves toward first, which could theoretically help to optimize Crawford’s defense as he plays deeper into his 30s.
Time will tell how Crawford fares defensively at the hot corner. In any case, a reunion might help the team’s offense and overall defensive flexibility. Crawford has put up a 114 wRC+ in 180 plate appearances this year. Despite a .204 batting average, he remains a productive hitter thanks to his ability to draw walks, doing so at least 11.3% of the time in every season since 2022. The M’s also have Brendan Donovan under club control through 2027. Donovan has exclusively played third this year but also has experience at second and in left. Retaining Crawford to play third would allow Donovan to be used as a super-utility player while ensuring plenty of at-bats for those two and Emerson.
Turning to the pitching staff, the Mariners’ rotation is in a bit of a crunch with Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryan Woo, Bryce Miller, and Emerson Hancock all performing well. Although Miller had a 5.68 ERA last year and missed the first month and a half of 2026 with an oblique strain, he posted a 3.52 ERA with a strong 17.6% strikeout to walk differential from 2023-24. Going forward, Ryan Divish and Adam Jude of the Seattle Times opine that the Mariners’ best path forward is Miller in the rotation and Luis Castillo in the bullpen full-time.
Castillo made his first career appearance as a reliever on Tuesday, allowing two earned runs in 2 1/3 innings against the White Sox while striking out four. He’s been a reliable starter since joining Seattle midway through the 2022 season, but unfortunately that hasn’t been the case in 2026. Castillo has a 6.34 ERA in 44 innings as a starter, and that’s not the result of one or two blow-ups. He’s allowed four earned runs or more on four separate occasions, and he’s only once completed six innings. Castillo has had some bad luck, as evidenced by a .346 opponents’ average on balls in play, but he’s also getting groundballs at a career-low 35.2% rate.
Castillo’s four-seamer had a run value of +11 last year, according to Statcast. While it hasn’t been as effective in 2026, the pitch is still getting 1.8 inches of horizontal break above league average. As a reliever, Castillo could take advantage of that movement by throwing the four-seamer more often, without having to face hitters multiple times. Then, if one of the starters goes down with an injury, Castillo could slot back into the rotation and revert to his old pitch mix.
Photo courtesy of Jay Biggerstaff, Imagn Images
MLBTR Podcast: Colt Emerson Debuts, Blue Jays’ Rotation Issues, And What To Make Of The Mets And Astros
The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.
This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…
- The Mariners calling up Colt Emerson (3:40)
- The Blue Jays losing José Berríos to surgery and trading Eric Lauer (10:50)
- The Dodgers losing Blake Snell to surgery (17:05)
- The Mets losing Francisco Alvarez to surgery and Clay Holmes to a fibula fracture (21:00)
- The Astros losing Jose Altuve to an oblique strain (31:35)
Plus, we answer your questions, including…
- Which teams have been the biggest positive surprises so far this season? (43:00)
- With the Dodgers having a lot of outfield prospects and trending towards a surplus, do they put together a trade or hold and develop them? (54:10)
Check out our past episodes!
- Patrick Bailey To Cleveland, The Struggling Astros, And Arizona’s Outfield Changes – listen here
- Skubal’s Injury, The Marlins’ Catchers, Eldridge Called Up, And Volpe Sent Down – listen here
- The Alex Cora Situation, Lucas Giolito Signs, And The Phillies Fire Rob Thomson – listen here
The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!
Photo courtesy of Steven Bisig, Imagn Images
J.P. Crawford Getting Work At Third Base
Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford has been getting work at the hot corner and was taking grounders there prior to today’s game. Daniel Kramer of MLB.com was among those to report that the idea was actually brought up by Crawford, who approached manager Dan Wilson about the possibility this weekend. Crawford’s agent subsequently ran it by general manager Justin Hollander. All parties seem to be on board with seeing what it might look like.
Crawford’s openness to sliding off shortstop comes in conjunction with top prospect Colt Emerson reaching the majors. Seattle inked the 20-year-old to a record-setting eight-year, $95MM contract before he took a single plate appearance in the majors. Emerson made his big league debut earlier this week and promptly deposited a ball over the right field fence, making his first big league hit a three-run big fly. The 2023 first-rounder (No. 22 overall) is currently the third-ranked prospect in the entire game, per Baseball America.
Emerson has played both third base and shortstop in his first three big league games, but he’s spent the overwhelming majority of his career at shortstop (2074 innings, compared to 175 at third base). The Mariners surely envision him as their shortstop of the future — particularly with Crawford set to become a free agent at season’s end.
From Crawford’s vantage point, the experiment makes good sense. It’s a team-first approach in the short term, allowing Emerson to perhaps claim the spot the Mariners hope him to occupy well into the 2030s, but it also expands his own defensive versatility ahead of his first trip to the open market. Crawford’s defensive grades have declined in recent years, particularly over the past season-plus. If he can grade out more effectively at the hot corner, that’ll only make him more appealing while Emerson acclimates to the majors at his natural position.
Third base isn’t entirely new for Crawford, but it’s been quite some time since he logged any game action there. He has 174 innings at the position in his career, all coming in 2017-18 with the Phillies — the team that originally drafted him. He has another 78 minor league innings at the position.
While there’s some current opportunity to test things out, a more permanent move to third base might not be a possibility for Crawford just yet. The Mariners placed Brendan Donovan on the 10-day IL due to a groin strain this week. He’ll be shut down entirely for two to three weeks before resuming baseball activity. It doesn’t seem he’s ticketed for an especially long-term absence.
A healthy Donovan could slot right back in at third base, but he’s also comfortable playing second base and the outfield corners. Cole Young has been fine at second base but hasn’t exactly seized the position with a dominant performance. Outfield/DH options like Dominic Canzone and Luke Raley have quality season-long numbers but have begun to cool after blistering starts to the 2026 campaign. Time will tell how all of them are faring in a few weeks, but there are certainly scenarios where Donovan factors in at a position other than third base — the only position he’s played so far in 2026.
Crawford, 31, is in the final season of a five-year, $51MM contract. He missed time early on due to a shoulder injury and has been slowed recently by a triceps issue that doesn’t seem like it’ll send him to the injured list. He was originally slated to play shortstop and lead off for Seattle, but the Mariners scratched him a couple hours before first pitch. He’s turned in a tepid .210 batting average but has ridden a career-best 16.5% walk rate to a big .358 on-base percentage.
This year’s uncommonly low average is due primarily to a .220 average on balls in play that’s about 70 points shy of league average and Crawford’s own career .293 mark. He’s actually striking out less than ever (and less often than he walks), at a 15.9% rate. Crawford’s batted-ball metrics and bat speed are right in line with his typical levels. Statcast credits him for an expected .256 batting average and .418 slugging percentage, suggesting better days at the plate might not be all that far off.
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