September Call-Up Stuff
Clubs can add two players Thursday
The Seattle Mariners can add two players Thursday, and there’s been a lot of talk about which way they’ll go. I’ve voiced my thoughts, and will again here, but let’s think through some of the options.
First, clubs can carry a maximum of 14 pitchers, so in the Mariners’ case they can add just one arm to their roster, so the other player has to be a position player. But they need a little help there, anyway.
It’s also worth noting players have to be on the 40-man by now — the deadline was Wednesday night — to be postseason eligible, but players can be added to the 40-man after that deadline and be added to the active roster for the regular season.
I’m a bit surprised we did not hear about a 40-man roster move or two, particularly with right-hander Taylor Williams (93-95 mph, 55 slider), in order to add to the club’s pitching resources for the final five weeks. Drew Steckenrider, Roenis Elias, Tommy Milone, Matt Koch, and even Fernando Abad make some sense, while current 40-man members Phillips Valdez and Justus Sheffield really do not.
Ryan Borucki (forearm) is on the 15-day IL right now, but a 40-man spot could be created by moving him to the 60-day IL, assuming the club doesn’t see much of a chance for him to return this season.
Seattle’s 40-man currently sits at 39, so there’s certainly room without pushing Borucki to the 60. Drew Ellis, Brennan Bernardino, Sheffield, Valdez, and Derek Hill also could be 40-man casualties if the club needs the space.
PITCHERS
Matthew Boyd, LHP
Boyd, acquired at the trade deadline, is on the 60-day IL and started a rehab assignment in Triple-A Tacoma August 13. Pitcher assignments can last up to 30 days, so the Mariners conceivably could call on another arm, or two position players, and give Boyd more time to shake the rust.
But I don’t see any rust. He’s working in relief, which is how the club plans to use him, and has allowed two runs in eight innings. He covered two full innings in two of his six appearances and has compiled a 14-0 K/BB ratio.
Boyd has been sitting 91-93 with his two-seamer, touched 94 mph with his four-seamer while inducing a lot of swing-and-miss with a 79-81 mph slider.
Boyd seems to be the favorite to get the nod and since he hasn’t pitched since Sunday he could get to Detroit and potentially face his former club in the series finale versus the Tigers. The lefty is already on the 40-man, but until he’s activated from the 60-day IL does not count toward the club’s roster count.
Taylor Williams, RHP
Williams has thrown the ball pretty well since Seattle claimed him and sent him to Triple-A, though he started off with a handful of sub par outings. He finushed August with seven straight scoreless appearances.
Williams’ fastballs have been 91-94 mph to set up a pretty good sweeping low-80s slider.
Drew Steckenrider, RHP
Steckenrider’s stuff has ticked up the last few weeks — 94-96 mph fastball, better arm action on the changeup — but the release point remains inconsistent, hence the too-occasional base on balls. I imagine Steck is down the list of potential pitcher call-ups for the Mariners right now.
Roenis Elias, LHP
Boyd certainly gets the call before Elias, but the southpaw’s experience could make him a short-term fix if the club is in a pinch.
Elias is using four pitches, starting with a four-seamer at 92-94 mph, a two-seamer 91-94, his curveball and an underrated changeup.
Matt Koch, RHP
He was up earlier in the year and has had a fine year in Tacoma (31 IP, 39 SO, 10 BB, 3.45 ERA), employing a 93-95 mph four-seamer, a hard cutter and true slider.
Patrick Weigel, RHP
The righty is a sinker-slider right-hander with decent ground-ball abilities. He’s up to 94 mph.
Brennan Bernardino, LHP
The lefty was up earlier this summer, but leaves a lot to be desired stuff wise compared to the other options. He’s mostly 90-93 with a sinking fastball and an average curveball that doesn’t generate swings and misses. Bernardino remains on the 40-man. For now.
Riley OBrien, RHP
O’Brien, too, was up briefly earlier in the year. He sits 92-95 with a riding fastball, fringe-average curveball and power changeup, none of which are out pitches thanks to 40-grade command.
Phillips Valdez, RHP
Notably, Valdez is on the 40-man already, but still struggles with control. He throws hard — he’s been up to 99 mph, but has been sitting 93-96 with a two-seamer, trying to get to an above-average change.
POSITION PLAYERS
Luis Torrens, C
Torrens is no longer on the 40-man. He had a really good year at the plate after returning from Tacoma last June, but couldn’t get it going this season and was DFA’d to make room for trade-acquisition Curt Casali. It would be sensible to try and re-add Torrens and carry three catchers, but… well, we’ll get to that.
Torrens has hit in the PCL — .321/.333/.571 — but it’s a small sample, and we know there is a remarkable difference between Triple-A and the majors.
Evan White, 1B
White has struggled to get — and stay — healthy, but he’s played 15 games in August and the numbers look good: .288/.373/.731, thanks to a couple of monster games over the past week.
He’s been hitting the ball hard with regularity during this stretch, and has fanned just eight times in 59 plate appearances.
The questions here include whether or not the Mariners should trust not only the performance of White, especially in a non-starting role, but also whether or not he’ll stay healthy. How a 1B/DH fits is my biggest issue with the idea, since he has so little outfield experience (and asking him to do that while coming off major injury is asinine), and the club’s roster lacks athleticism, healthy defenders in the middle infield and outfield, and speed on the bases.
White is on 40-man already, so no move needed in that regard.
Taylor Trammell, OF
Trammell, for me, is the most likely to help the club for the final five weeks. He can run, is a good defender in the corners and at least average in center. He also showed some extended hitting ability prior to re-inuring his hamstring and hitting the IL for the second time as a result.
In fact, that hammy is my only hang-up here, but I’d still start by adding Boyd and Trammell.
Mason McCoy, IF
McCoy has some pop, can play second and third, and in a pinch shortstop, too, making him a viable choice while Dylan Moore is on the IL. Choosing McCoy would require adding him to the 40-man.
Drew Ellis, IF
Ellis on on the 40, but is limited to third base in terms if infield defense, and truly is my first choice for DFA if the club need the space. McCoy makes more sense than Ellis even if Moore were healthy. Better athlete, at least as capable at the plate, and can help at second.
Jonathan Villar, IF
Villar, a switch hitter, has had some good season in the majors but was dreadful before being DFA’d twice this season, first by the Cubs, then by the Angels. He’s hitting .268/.307.451 in Tacoma, and can probably handle second, third and left in shorts stints, and he still runs pretty well. He’s not on the 40-man.
Erick Mejia, IF
Mejia, also a switch hitter, is an above-average runner with surprising pop, especially from the left side, and can defend at three spots around the infield. Additionally, he’s been passable in left and right field. I’d roll with Mejia before Villar — I think Villar’s bat is just slowing down and he hasn’t been able to make an adjustment. A scout buddy think Villar is actually “at least 35, maybe older” but them’s just jokes. I think.
Jarred Kelenic, OF
Kelenic is not a good bet to perform right now and doesn’t bring enough to the table defensively to warrant getting the nod over others, particularly Trammell, who also happens to play the same positions.
Kyle Lewis, DH
At this point I can’t imagine Lewis being asked to play the outfield again in 2022, which makes him a part-time DH — can’t carry that on this roster. Lewis, however, is starting to find barrels in Tacoma, and I still buy the bat in the big leagues and would bet pretty aggressvely he’d hit. But I don’t know he can stay in the lineup, so … no.
Derek Hill, OF
Hill is a pretty good CF glove and can run, but his swing is a mess and he hasn’t made consistent contact. He’s intriguing, and a better general idea than Marcus Wilson, but not a real option to help Seattle down the stretch.
Waiver Claims
Checking the waiver wire, I don’t see any obvious option Seattle should consider, though I’m not sure why they didn’t take a flier on Hirokazu Sawamura, who is now safely in Triple-A Pawtucket.
The Mariners could play this all very strategically; they aren’t stuck with their first call-ups. Seattle could summon McCoy, for example, then option him back when Moore is activated, and bring up Trammell or Torrens. In the same light, they could add Williams to the 40-man and use him as the additional arm if they aren’t yet comfortable with where Boyd is and then make a swap in a week or two.
But keep an eye on the 40-man status. That’s key in these situations.
MOST TENTATIVE 40-MAN ROSTER SPOTS
Phillips Valdez, RHP
Drew Ellis, IF
Brennan Bernardino, LHP
Juan Then, RHP
Justus SHeffield, LHP
Ryan Borucki, LHP (more likely to 60-IL than a DFA)
Derek Hill, OF