4:15pm: Bolton is dealing with kidney stones, per Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times.
3:10pm: The Mariners shook up their bullpen with a series of roster moves Monday. Right-handers Brett de Geus and Tyson Miller were selected to the 40-man roster from Triple-A Tacoma, with righty Ty Adcock being designated for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Right-handers Cody Bolton and Collin Snider were both placed on the 15-day injured list — the latter due to a knee contusion and the former with what the team labeled a “general medical issue.” The Mariners also reinstated first baseman Ty France from the paternity list and optioned infielder/outfielder Samad Taylor to Tacoma.
Both Miller and de Geus have big league experience, albeit fairly minimal. The 28-year-old Miller was a fourth-round pick by the Cubs back in 2016 and has pitched for five different teams over the past four years (Cubs, Rangers, Mets, Dodgers, Brewers). In 31 career innings, he’s been tagged for an ugly 6.97 ERA, though his Triple-A work is far better. Miller was roughed up for an ERA north of 7.00 in his first taste of Triple-A as a 23-year-old back in 2019. In parts of three seasons since that time he’s logged a 3.85 ERA in just under 200 innings. That includes 43 2/3 innings of 3.50 ERA ball with the Triple-A clubs for the Dodgers and Mets last year, during which he punched out 28% of his opponents.
The 26-year-old de Geus pitched 50 MLB frames between the Mariners and D-backs back in 2021 after Texas plucked him from the Dodgers in the 2020 Rule 5 Draft. He made 19 appearances as a Rangers and another 26 as a D-back, struggling mightily in both stops. Given that de Geus pitched in A-ball in 2019 then didn’t pitch with an affiliate in 2020 due to the canceled minor league season, it’s not all that surprising that he was hammered by MLB hitters in his debut campaign. In those 50 frames, he yielded a 7.56 ERA.
Even to this point in his career, de Geus only has 14 Triple-A frames under his belt. He’s been hit hard in that tiny sample as well, but he pitched 35 1/3 innings with a 2.80 ERA in Double-A for the Royals last season. De Geus has plenty of experience working multiple innings as a reliever and has also been a starter in the past, so he can provide some length to the Seattle bullpen while he’s up.
Adcock, 27, made his big league debut with the Mariners in 2023. The former eighth-round pick tossed 15 2/3 innings with a 3.45 ERA and 19% strikeout rate out of Scott Servais’ bullpen and didn’t issue a walk or hit any of his 58 opponents with a pitch. Adcock was never going to sustain that level of command, but he still walked only five of the 75 hitters he faced between High-A and Double-A last year (6.66%). However, he’s already issued three free passes in 2024 despite facing just a dozen opponents. The Mariners will have a week to trade Adcock, attempt to pass him through outright waivers or release him.
MacGromit
Rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic
my oh my 614
Chill out, buddy. We’re 10 games into the season
vikingbluejay67
Yeah. Only Jays fans can be so pessimistic.
dshires4
I dunno man, I also had concerns that the bullpen was too top heavy — missing Brash and Santos is showing — and our lineup wasn’t ever going to compete with other formidable clubs. It really did feel like we rotated players out to maybe ever so slightly improve.
And thank god we addressed the strikeout rates and they’re definitely not a concern anymore……just because it’s only 10 games doesn’t mean it’s also not a red flag.
myaccount2
By that logic, every bullpen is too top heavy. It kind of goes without saying that any team losing two of their top three relievers isn’t in an ideal situation. It will undoubtedly look a lot better when the 7-8-9 is some combo of Brash, Santos, and Munoz with Stanek back into a mid-innings role instead of closing games. Most teams don’t have unlimited resources for the bullpen. In fact, I’d argue none do.
TMQ
Yeah because the entire team is going to bat sub .200! Baseball is a long season and 10 games is blip of the season. If they have a 4-6 stretch in July or August you wouldn’t bat an eye.
ayrbhoy
Exactly myaccount2- in fact I can’t think of a BP on any current MLB team who can consider their 5th- 8th RPer spots anything other than “middle RP” type Relievers. Meaning RPers who are, and I apologize to every 5th – 8th best RPers as “just a guy.” As you know many of those RP5-8 spots are ‘revolving doors’ between players from the Minors, RPers picked up on waivers and in some cases SPers who get converted into RPers. Last yrs League Leading MIL BP and the AL’s top BP…..SEA did not have RP5’s – RP8’s in the top echelon of pitching metrics.
The Seattle FO (with its team pitching in MLB’s best Pitching Ballpark) has shown a history of shaping guys like T Miller and DeGeus. Many RPers who are new to the Org are on record saying the Pitching Dev Group identified a process or Pitching philosophy that brought out the best version of many of the new Seattle RPers. Despite their past track record. Sewald being the best example of a RPer who came from the Mets with a different pitching profile to the one the M’s Pitching Coaches implemented.
my oh my 614
You know, the Athletic’s are currently 7-9. I suppose they have a shot at the wildcard this year, yeah? It’s early, we have numerous veterans that have produced throughout their careers. 162 games is a long time, let it roll a bit more before we call mayday
Rsox
“This just in: Jerry DiPoto trades entire team for the Island Ducks. Fans are outraged ownership foot the bill for a bunch quacks…”
League Minimum
I see what you did there…
RandorBierd
Remember when people were up in arms because the White Sox traded Jeremy Reed to the Mariners? It doesn’t look like he’s going to pan out.
ck420
What’s the difference between the Mariners and a mosquito. The mosquito stops sucking!
User 2079935927
@CK420 unlike your post. Lay off the weed punk- Sgt Joe Friday
Rangerfan99
“General medical issue.” Ha! Have the front offices simply stopped trying to hide their subterfuge? Last year was Brad Miller’s appearing/disappearing “hamstring” (insert problem) issues, for the rangers.
myaccount2
It’s kidney stones, so not quite skirting the rules like Texas did.
Rangerfan99
Who knows anymore. What Texas did was comical in its blatancy, but just announcing general medical issue, is the point. No one seems to take these things seriously unless it is legitimate. Maybe someone higher up said, wait you can’t say that, so they went with the hard to prove otherwise kidney stones.
Hammerin' Hank
A GMI. As opposed to GBS, General Body Soreness.
LDilbert
Bad move sending Samad back Down. He have mariners a spark.
Stevil
Who would you have had them send down in place of him?
It had to be Taylor. Seattle’s bench has actually been good, apart from Zavala, who’s their Sunday catcher..
Rangerfan99
This hamstring always seem to “flare up” at the exact time the team needed an extra spot on the 26 man roster.
This one belongs to the Reds
“Oh, I pulled a hammy!”
Oldest trick in the book. Works late in football games too to get that extra time out.
SODOMOJO
Why would they send Taylor down? I hate that move. Everytime he’s played this year he’s injected enthusiasm and life into a dead horse team
Stevil
Every time he played? He played in 3 games and had 5 PAs.
He’s likeable, but he certainly wasn’t going to oust Moore, Urías, Canzone, Raley or Rojas.
riley s
Good moves, Go M’s!
Ignorant Son-of-a-b
They’ll figure it out by July or August as usual.
SODOMOJO
Which sucks, because the iron is hot right now in the AL West. Cudos to Wash and the Angels on being the ones to take advantage.
Tacoshells
Any ladies want to Adcock?
Kruk it
Dick Pole?
hllywdjff
The only saving grace for the Mariners right now is Houston has a ton of pitchers hurt and the A’s and Angels suck… I’ve watched this team for 45 years and this team this year is not better than last year’s team that’s a guarantee…
Angry Disgruntled Sox Fan
Of course they aren’t. They traded Robbie Ray, gave up Tesocar Hernandez and replaced him with Mitch “hang it up” and pretty much downgraded in other places but too many M’s fans think they’re the best. They legit got cheaper and downgraded.
Say what you want about the rotation, but Ray has a track record. Not many other M’s pitchers do. I know Ray couldn’t pitch this year but trading him and trusting in the guys they have now was a big mistake.
JT70
Robbie Ray was also pretty meh in a M’s uniform…like bad enough that he got kicked out of the rotation when they made the playoffs two seasons ago. He’s making ace level money but has only had 2 good years in 10 seasons. Even if Ray wasn’t traded and came back, he’d be at best their #4 (behind Castillo, Kirby, Gilbert). Considering Miller, Woo, and Hancock are all young and need to get opportunities to pitch, moving Ray just made sense. Most teams are employing some low ceiling veteran as their 4th and 5th pitchers in the rotation and just hope to get 5 innings out of them. Don’t really see how turning it to younger pitchers with yet to be determined ceilings—and in the cases for Miller and Woo a limited but somewhat proven track record in the majors—would be a big mistake. I’m not suggesting Miller, Woo, or Hancock will be stars but I’d be willing to bet that at least half of the other 29 teams would be fine rolling out at least one of those 3 guys at the back of their rotation.
Taking Ray’s salary and turning it into 2 other players (essentially Haniger and Polanco) was a better use of limited resources than holding onto Ray and hoping he can return to spotty form. They definitely sold low on Ray and the deal will look a lot worse if Haniger can’t stay healthy…but the Mariners are re-buying on Haniger knowing that he can actually produce for them if he’s healthy. I mean it seems like hitters forget how to hit the ball when they go to Seattle so getting someone back with a proven track record in Seattle isn’t the worst idea.
There’s plenty to criticize the Mariners for all their other moves and 99% of the blame lies on ownership trying to cut/limit costs but moving Ray was not one of those mistakes imo.
lee cousins
I don’t think so Ray ran out of gas, in the playoff he throws the ball hard relying on that too much. What we got in exchange was better but also deferring his contract. was also a good move besides he Ray won’t come back till mid season. You let me know how he does when he comes back.
Angry Disgruntled Sox Fan
Still the best k rate in baseball
Angry Disgruntled Sox Fan
“The best rotation in baseball.” – Yours truly, M’s fans from MLBTR
Angry Disgruntled Sox Fan
I shouldn’t sound so pessimistic but this is a young and up and coming team that just practically made their postseason chances less moving forward.
Whether you like the moves they made or not, they’re probably worse than last year or just as good as last year at best and that’s not cutting it in the division with the Astros and Rangers. I wouldn’t be surprised in the least if Angels get a higher record, though M’s will probably get third place.
It’s not that their acquisitions are terrible. They’re just not fantastic and they basically got a bunch of sub par players that have benefitted from career years.
I’m sorry, I just don’t see them upgraded and that’s what they needed to do in this division. Status quo doesn’t beat the Rangers or Astros.
Stevil
I think they should prove to be a better team in the end if they can stay healthy. They’re still young, and with so much turnover, they have an offense (and defense) that’s still settling in and developing an identity.
But they absolutely didn’t do enough in the offseason because of the self-imposed financial restrictions.
pjmcnu
Feel bad for Bolton, those suck.
Fred Park
Right now the team is definitely “snakebit”. That’s when the players are just unable to believe in themselves. Julio is one.
Last night they did show some signs of life, but it’s anybody’s guess when they will finally put it all together and view themselves as winners.
Some teams never do get it right. So we just go game-to-game, hoping.
Fred Park
I wrote that today, on April 9, about 7 a.m.
Right now, this team is is just thrashing around, doing roster moves, juggling people, trying to get it together, find an antidote to the poison.
UncommonSense
What no one calling them cheaters and scum??? Oh that only happens when the Dodgers do the same things and send someone down?
lee cousins
The only problem they have right now is that they can’t hit or pitch. Fred.