The Seattle Mariners used Tuesday’s expanded 28-man roster to add a new name with a very familiar kind of edge: Hoby Milner, the side-arming left-hander who signed with the club before being activated.
The timing of the move matters. Players have to be on a team’s 40-man roster or 60-day injured list before noon ET on September 1 to be eligible for the postseason, and Seattle got Milner in on Monday with a minor league contract. If the Mariners somehow get to October, that detail could count.
To clear space for Milner and Lazaro Montes, the Mariners designated utility man Connor Joe and right-hander Nolan Kingham for assignment.
Milner is 35 and in his 10th major league season. His best run came with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2023, when he worked 73 games and posted a 1.82 ERA.
He was most recently with the Chicago Cubs, who cut him loose on Sunday after releasing him from a one-year, $3.75 million deal. An appendectomy-related injured list stint kept him out of the majors since June 25.
Seattle will owe him a prorated share of the MLB minimum salary of $780,000.
In 38 appearances for the Cubs, Milner logged a 3.53 ERA, though left-handed hitters did more damage against him this season than they usually have over his career, producing a .703 OPS compared with his career .618 mark. What has never changed is the delivery: Milner still brings one of the most unusual looks in the league, with an average horizontal release point wider than any other pitcher in MLB.
That alone makes him an interesting add, but the Mariners are also chasing basic stability in a bullpen that has been getting lit up. Since the trade deadline passed on August, Seattle relievers have a league-worst 7.71 ERA.
The left-handed pair already in place has not exactly steadied things. Gabe Speier and Jose A. Ferrer have combined for 21 appearances and a 5.49 ERA since August 4, and together they’ve struck out only 13 of the 86 batters they’ve faced.
Milner’s stuff won’t overwhelm anyone. His fastball averages 87.0 mph, and his 35.2 innings in the majors this year have produced just 18 strikeouts.
But he can still be useful in a different way, by limiting hard contact. As recently as 2024, he ranked in the 99th percentile for barrel rate.
With 24 games left, Seattle sits 10 games under .500 and 6.0 games back in the AL West. It’s fair to wonder how much one specialist reliever can change that picture.
Still, at this point, the Mariners need help wherever they can find it. And if Milner makes the bullpen a little easier to stomach, that counts for something.
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