We knew that the M's were bringing up slugger Lazaro Montes, but the other roster moves came as a surprise.
The Seattle Mariners have made multiple roster moves on Tuesday as part of the Sept. 1 roster expansion deadline.
With rosters moving from 26 to 28 players, the Mariners had the ability to bring up one position player and one pitcher.
We already knew that the M's were set to bring up slugging outfield prospect Lazaro Montes, but the M's have brought up left-handed reliever Hoby Milner to help fortify the bullpen.
In corresponding moves, the M's have designated utility player Connor Joe for assignment. They've also DFA'd Nolan Kingham. Both players could ultimately end up in Tacoma again at Triple-A, but they are now off the 40-man roster.
Montes, 21, is the No. 56-ranked prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. A slugger in every sense of the word, he's hit .249 between Double-A Arkansas and Triple-A Tacoma, also blasting 38 home runs while driving in 96 runs.
While the power is very real, so are the contact issues. He's struck out 166 times in 123 games, fanning well over once per game.
At this point, it's unclear just how much he'll play moving forward, but I think it's fair to say that he'll make all starts against right-handed pitching. If the team falls out of the race entirely, I think he'll play against left-handers as well, but for now, I'd expect Taylor Ward to still make those starts.
The Mariners enter play on Tuesday at 64-74 and six games back in the American League West. They haven't been this far under .500 since 2022.
Milner, 35, is a 10-year veteran of the Philadelphia Phillies, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Angels, Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs. Lifetime, he's 14-9 with a 3.80 ERA. He threw in 38 games for the Cubs this season, pitching to a 3.53 ERA.
Chicago Cubs pitcher Hoby Milner (41) pitches against the Toronto Blue Jays during the ninth inning at Wrigley Field. Patrick Gorski-Imagn ImagesHe'll become the third lefty in the bullpen for the Mariners, joining Gabe Speier and Jose Ferrer.
He last appeared in the big leagues in late June and the Cubs designated him for assignment last week. The Mariners then acquired him.
Given that Andres Munoz and Speier both worked more than one full inning in Monday's horrific defeat, both will be unavailable, in all likelihood, in Tuesday's contest. Milner could make his Mariners debut right away, as the Red Sox have a number of key lefties, including Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran and Mickey Gasper.
First pitch is set for 3:45 p.m. PT.
Of note
The most recent edition of the 'Refuse to Lose Territory' podcast is out. You can listen here, or you can watch in the YouTube player below.
