On Sunday, reports circulated that the Seattle Mariners were promoting top prospects Lazaro Montes and Michael Arroyo from Double-A Arkansas to Triple-A Tacoma. Both prospects are 21-year-old players with excellent upside offensively, and both have produced at Arkansas, a notoriously difficult place to hit.

In 79 games with Arkansas, Montes is hitting just .234, but he's got an impressive .369 on-base percentage while also popping 25 homers and driving in 66 runs.

He hit 32 homers a season ago between High-A Everett and Arkansas. He's currently ranked as the No. 26 prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline.

Arroyo is ranked as the No. 43 prospect in the game by MLB Pipeline. Just 5-foot-10, he's one of the better pure offensive players in the M's system as well, and he's hitting .287 this season with 10 homers and 40 RBIs. He also has a .364 on-base percentage. 

By virtue of being at Triple-A, both players are just one step away from the major leagues, but is there a chance that they could end their season in Seattle?

It's something we discussed on the most recent 'Refuse to Lose Territory' podcast.

"So for them and their personal accomplishment, I think it is a phenomenal honor for them to go from Double-A to Triple-A.

As for what it means for the Mariners, I don't know that it means a whole lot. I think both Laz Montes and Michael Arroyo have the talent to maybe help the 2026 Mariners, but I don't really know how easy it is to shoehorn them into this roster right now.

Let's look at Montes. If you see him as an outfielder, he's blocked by Luke Raley, Dom Canzone, Víctor Robles, Julio Rodríguez, and Randy Arozarena. He's blocked by all of those guys if you truly see him as an outfielder.

Most people seem to think he's a DH, and he's blocked by Cal Raleigh when he's a DH. He's blocked by Canzone, who's been arguably the best offensive player on the roster. And when Brendan Donovan comes back, they're probably going to have to rotate Donovan through the DH spot to keep him healthy, and they might give guys like Randy Arozarena a day in the DH spot. The DH spot being open is difficult for Laz Montes to get.

If you think Laz Montes is just a bench bat and you're content with him not playing every day, they already have Luke Raley as a left-handed hitting power bat to be that guy. So Laz Montes, I think, has a difficult and narrow path right now to helping the 2026 Mariners.

If somebody gets hurt, then obviously the conversation changes. But I don't look at, "Oh, he's promoted to Tacoma," and think the Mariners are instantly on the horn here counting down until he gets to Seattle. I don't see it that way.

Arroyo, I feel similarly about.

Now, if you see him as an infielder, he's blocked by Cole Young, Colt Emerson, J.P. Crawford, and Brendan Donovan. If you see him as an outfielder, he's blocked by all the guys I just told you about, plus Brendan Donovan. If you see him as a DH, he's blocked by the same situation I just described with Montes.

I just told you that the thing this team is missing is a right-handed-hitting bench infielder who has some versatility. Maybe if the team is content to not play Arroyo every day, he has a path here later this season or on Sept. 1, when the roster expands and you get another position player.

I don't think it's a closed case that Michael Arroyo can't help the Mariners. But again, it's a narrow path, and I don't think we are knocking on the door of it tomorrow. I think we're knocking on the door of it on Sept. 1, when the rosters expand, or if somebody gets hurt..."

The latest edition of the 'Refuse to Lose Territory' podcast is now out, and it features former Mariners' 3B Ben Williamson. You can listen here, or you can watch the YouTube player below.

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