The Mariners may have passed on Eugenio Suárez, but they still found a jolt of personality in Lazaro Montes.
Seattle’s rookie outfielder, promoted when rosters expanded to 28 players on Tuesday, wasted no time making himself known in the majors. In his first big-league at-bat, the 21-year-old worked a walk.
In his next trip, he picked up his first career hit with a single. Then came the swing that really announced him: a home run over the 17-foot wall in straightaway center field at Fenway Park, even though it didn’t look like he squared it up perfectly.
That’s the part that separates Montes from most prospects. The power is real, and it showed up immediately.
“As a hitter, it’s just so hard to show up and just be comfortable like that, but my goodness did Laz look comfortable,” Yahoo Sports’ Jordan Shusterman told Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy on Wednesday. “And for him to kind of give you the whole experience, for him to give you that homer to center field and then to look like he’s the happiest person in the world in the dugout, which he’s been at every level, it’s exactly what this team needed.”
Montes also brought the kind of energy Seattle has been chasing. After the homer, he was shown in the dugout playing the home run trident like a guitar alongside Randy Arozarena, who regularly uses the same celebration after his own blasts. There was also a viral moment of Montes and Arozarena playing “Rock, Paper, Scissors.”
Seattle has already seen other top prospects make their way to the majors this season, but Shusterman said Montes offers something different because of the way he carries himself.
“What he can bring clearly just from an energy standpoint, this is what has been so lacking for this entire team the whole season, and that’s what’s so refreshing. Regardless of the production, this is (something) that he could really bring,” Shusterman said.
“And honestly - it’s nothing personal - you’re not really going to get this from Kade Anderson, you’re not really going to get this from Colt Emerson, some of these other guys that they’ve called up. This is more of an electric personality, someone who’s loving life, loving being a big leaguer, and that is what’s so exciting about Laz being in the big leagues.”
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Mariners Take A Chance On A Former Top Prospect With Upside
The Mariners added a familiar kind of lottery ticket to their pitching depth, signing right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson to a minor-league contract and sending him to Triple-A Tacoma. Once regarded as one of the better young arms in the system, Woods Richardson has already seen the majors with both the Blue Jays and Twins, and his path has taken him through a designation for assignment by Toronto before he elected free agency.
For Seattle, the move fits the sort of low-cost gamble contenders often make when they believe there is still something to unlock. Woods Richardson gives the organization another arm to evaluate in Tacoma, where the Mariners can keep a close eye on a pitcher who made his big-league debut in 2022 and is still young enough to factor if the stuff and command come together again. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Just Created A Connor Joe Question Fans Can't Ignore
The Mariners latest roster shuffle left Connor Joe in a familiar but uneasy spot. After Seattle designated Joe and right-hander Nolan Kingham for assignment to make room for Lzaro Montes and Hoby Milner on the 40-man roster, both players cleared waivers and were outrighted to Triple-A Tacoma, keeping the move from being the end of the road for either player just yet.
Joe now has a decision to make, since he has the right to elect free agency, and the Mariners have not indicated whether he plans to stay in the organization or test the market. Kinghams path is more straightforward because his service time means he has to accept the assignment, but Joes situation is the one that lingers for Seattle, where every roster spot matters and every fringe move can hint at what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners May Have Found A Better Use For Their Latest Pitching Add
The Mariners added another arm to their system by signing right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson to a minor-league deal and sending him to Triple-A Tacoma. Most of his big-league work has come as a starter, but he has also handled multiple roles this season, which makes him an interesting fit for a Seattle pitching staff that suddenly needs more flexibility.
With rotation depth thinned by an injury, the appeal here is less about where Woods Richardson has traditionally worked and more about where he might help most. Seattle can use pitching in just about any form right now, and his ability to cover innings gives the club another option if it wants to patch a game together out of the bullpen or lean on a bulk reliever while the roster sorts itself out. [Read more 🡒]