The Mariners used Sept. 1 expansion day to do exactly what they had to do - and one move they probably had in mind all along. The club brought up slugging outfield prospect Lazaro Montes and added left-handed reliever Hoby Milner, then cleared room by designating Connor Joe and Nolan Kingham for assignment.
Montes was the name already circled on the calendar. The 21-year-old sits No. 56 on MLB Pipeline’s prospect list and arrives with a power bat that has been impossible to ignore.
Across Double-A Arkansas and Triple-A Tacoma, he hit .249 with 38 home runs and 96 RBIs. The thunder is obvious.
So are the strikeouts: 166 of them in 123 games, a rate that has come with the kind of swing-and-miss that travels with this sort of profile.
What happens next is less certain, but the usage pattern seems clear enough. He should start against right-handed pitching, and if the Mariners completely fall out of the race, that could open the door for him to face lefties too. For now, Taylor Ward is still expected to get those starts.
Seattle enters Tuesday at 64-74 and six games out in the American League West. The club has not been this far below .500 since 2022.
Milner gives the Mariners another option from the left side, and he arrives with plenty of mileage. The 35-year-old has spent time with the Philadelphia Phillies, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Angels, Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs over a 10-year big league career. He’s 14-9 with a 3.80 ERA in his career, and this season he appeared in 38 games for the Cubs with a 3.53 ERA.
He also fills a specific need. With Andrés Muñoz and Gabe Speier both having worked more than one inning in Monday’s brutal loss, both are likely unavailable for Tuesday. That makes Milner a realistic option to debut right away, especially with the Red Sox bringing several dangerous left-handed bats to the table, including Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran and Mickey Gasper.
Milner becomes the third left-hander in Seattle’s bullpen, joining Gabe Speier and Jose Ferrer.
Joe and Kingham are off the 40-man roster now, though both could eventually land back in Tacoma at Triple-A. For the moment, though, the Mariners have made their September roster picture clear: Montes brings the power, Milner brings the arm, and Seattle is trying to patch things together as the schedule keeps moving.
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The Mariners have reached the point in the season where every stretch of lost ground feels heavier, even with the playoff picture still close enough to keep hope alive. Offense has been the central concern for a club sitting below .500, and the recent slide has only sharpened the pressure on a lineup that has not gotten enough steady production from the middle of the order. Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez have had mixed results, and the pitching staff has started to show some wear as the team leans more on rookies.
Against that backdrop, Randy Arozarena stands out as one of the few hitters giving Seattle a reliable spark. His offense has been strong, and the improved plate discipline is a good sign for a team that needs more traffic on the bases and more consistent at-bats across the board, even if his defense remains a concern. When a club is trying to stay in the race while its run scoring keeps sputtering, the obvious move is often the one that best rewards the player doing the most to keep the lineup afloat. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Just Made A Desperate Roster Bet For Their Playoff Push
The Mariners added a little late-season intrigue by grabbing veteran left-hander Hoby Milner after he was waived by the Cubs, a move that gives Seattle another arm it can deploy if this push lasts into October. At the same time, the club brought up outfielder Lazaro Montes from Triple-A Tacoma, setting up his major league debut and adding another layer of youth to a roster that has been trying to balance urgency with depth as the playoff race tightens.
To make the pieces fit, Seattle designated utilityman Connor Joe and pitcher Nolan Kingham for assignment, the kind of roster shuffle that usually says as much about the moment as the players involved. The Mariners are clearly playing for flexibility now, looking for any edge they can find while also creating a lane for Montes to get his first big league look, with the bigger question being how far these moves can carry them if the season keeps stretching deeper. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Finally Turn To One Of Their Most Intriguing Young Bats
The Mariners are giving one of their most closely watched young hitters a shot in the big leagues, with Lazaro Montes set to join the club in Boston and make his Major League debut. The 21-year-old outfielder has built a strong reputation in the minors, and his arrival adds a new layer of intrigue to a roster that has been looking for answers and upside as it moves deeper into the season.
Seattle also added pitcher Hoby Milner after he recently signed a minor league contract following his release by the Chicago Cubs, while Connor Joe and Nolan Kingham were designated for assignment. The moves show the Mariners trying to keep the roster flexible while making room for a prospect who has earned a long look, and now the question shifts to how quickly Montes can translate that promise once he gets on the field. [Read more 🡒]