Patrick Wisdom Reinstated as Mariners Shuffle Five Roster Spots
Patrick Wisdom is back on the Mariners’ active roster after being reinstated from the 10-day injured list on Thursday, part of a five-move shuffle that also brought up Robinson Ortiz and added Brennen Davis to the 40-man roster. Seattle used the day to reset its bench and bullpen while protecting one roster spot for the outfielder.
Wisdom Returns to Seattle
Wisdom’s reinstatement was the lead move in a transaction group that changed several corners of the roster at once. The Mariners also optioned Domingo González and Leo Rivas, then selected Davis to the 40-man roster before sending him to Triple-A.
For Seattle, the timing mattered because the club had been running with a six-man rotation, which left only seven relievers available. That left little margin for a bullpen arm to sit after González had made four appearances in the previous six days.
Ortiz Joins the Bullpen
Ortiz was recalled from Triple-A after the offseason trade that brought the 26-year-old left-hander from the Dodgers. He is set to make his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game.
His Triple-A line gives Seattle a fresh arm with clear strikeout ability and control issues in the same package. Ortiz threw 16 innings, allowed 1.69 earned runs per nine, struck out 26.1% of the batters he faced and walked 17.4% of them. His four-seam fastball averaged 94.4 miles per hour this year, and his slider averaged 83.9 mph.
Seattle Protects Brennen Davis
Davis was the other roster move with longer-term weight. Seattle had a vacancy on the 40-man roster before adding him, and he went to Triple-A after being selected. General manager Justin Hollander said, “I don’t see a scenario where we don’t keep him in our organization,” and added, “He’s a right-handed bat with power and there aren’t a ton of them available.”
Davis posted a.281/.394/.548 line in Triple-A this year and had one option remaining. The move gives Seattle control over a bat that fits a specific need, while the immediate roster math still centered on Wisdom’s return and the bullpen depth that had been thinned by González’s recent workload.