The Mariners introduced that they’ve chosen the contract of left-hander Jhonathan Díaz. The membership already had an open 40-man roster spot, so no corresponding transfer was vital there. When it comes to the lively roster, right-hander Emerson Hancock has been optioned to Triple-A Tacoma. Daniel Kramer of MLB.com famous earlier that Díaz was within the clubhouse with Hancock headed out.
As of a month in the past, the Mariners have been set to open the season with a robust entrance 5 of Logan Gilbert, Bryce Miller, George Kirby, Bryan Woo and Luis Castillo. Sadly, Kirby was shut down in early March because of some shoulder irritation and began the season on the injured checklist.
That opened a possibility for Hancock however his begin in yesterday’s sport in opposition to the Tigers may hardly have gone a lot worse. He didn’t make it out of the primary inning, recording simply two outs, one in every of which was a caught stealing. He allowed six earned runs on seven hits, forcing the bullpen to cowl 8 1/3 innings.
Of the membership’s eight relievers, 4 of them pitched final evening, every of them recording at the least 4 outs and throwing at the least 31 pitches. Out of the 4 guys who didn’t pitch final evening, three of them appeared in Sunday’s contest.
They’ve introduced up Díaz presumably for a multi-inning possibility out of the bullpen quickly. Final yr, he made 5 appearances within the majors for Seattle however spent most of his time within the Triple-A rotation. He logged 117 2/3 innings for Tacoma over 22 begins and one reduction look. His 4.36 earned run common wasn’t unhealthy within the context of the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. He struck out 22.9% of batters confronted, gave out walks at a 9.9% clip and bought grounders on 54.1% of balls in play.
The lefty was outrighted off the roster in February and elected free company however returned by way of a minor league deal. He nonetheless has choices, so the M’s may maybe shuttle him to Tacoma and again all year long, recalling him each time a state of affairs like this arises.
Within the brief time period, it’s unclear what the M’s plan to do with the rotation. They’re within the midst of a seven-game stretch to begin the season, with two extra to go. However due to having 5 off-days in April and a few initially of Could, they don’t play greater than six video games in a row once more till the second half of Could. Maybe they might survive for some time with a four-man group of Gilbert, Miller, Woo and Castillo. Optionable arms like Hancock, Díaz and Blas Castano may maybe make spot begins or take bulk work in occasional bullpen video games over the subsequent six weeks or so.
Picture courtesy of Steven Bisig, USA TODAY Sports activities
