Seattle’s farm system keeps churning out names, and right now three of them are moving in the right direction at once: Ryan Sloan, Ace Reese and Luke Stevenson.
Sloan has stepped into the spotlight almost immediately after Kade Anderson’s promotion to the majors. Anderson’s call-up opened the door, and the 20-year-old right-hander has kicked it wide open with Double-A Arkansas.
On Saturday, Aug. 22, Sloan carved through five innings with one hit allowed, one run, no walks and 11 strikeouts.
He did it on just 69 pitches, landing 50 for strikes and piling up 21 whiffs.
Zach Levenson’s third-inning solo homer was the only damage. After that, Sloan finished by retiring the last nine hitters he saw.
The 11 strikeouts matched his career high and brought his season total to 111 in 86 2/3 innings. His ERA sits at 3.63, and he’s been especially sharp lately: two runs or fewer in eight of his last nine starts, with a 2.35 ERA over that stretch.
If Sloan is the arm grabbing headlines, Reese is the bat forcing people to pay attention. Seattle’s 2026 first-round pick has been wrecking Single-A pitching for Inland Empire, hitting .439/.519/.683 with a 1.202 OPS through 12 games. He’s already put up two homers, 11 RBI, 10 walks, nine strikeouts and a stolen base.
That kind of line jumps off the page for any player, let alone someone who was still in college just a couple months ago. Reese was taken 24th overall for his left-handed power, but the early pro story has been just as much about discipline and strike-zone control as it has been about impact. The average will settle down, but the production profile is already loud.
Luke Stevenson’s season looks different on the surface, but the underlying work is just as encouraging. Through Aug. 23, the High-A Everett catcher is hitting .237/.407/.477 with an .884 OPS, along with 18 home runs and 74 RBI in 92 games. He’s also drawn 90 walks.
The strikeouts are part of the package - he has 122 of them - but the rest of the line gives those whiffs some real context. When a hitter is reaching base more than 40 percent of the time and doing damage for extra bases, the rest is easier to live with. If Stevenson stays behind the plate, that kind of offensive profile gives him everyday upside.
For Seattle, it’s a nice problem to have: one elite arm moves up, and another one is ready to take over. Sloan looks like a possible rotation force, Reese is arriving with plenty of pop, and Stevenson keeps building a case that deserves more attention.
In Other News...
J.P. Crawfords Return Just Created A New Mariners Infield Debate
J.P. Crawford is back on the Mariners active roster after a rehab stint, and his return immediately reshapes the infield picture. With Colt Emerson now out for the season after wrist surgery, Seattle is no longer dealing with a short-term patch at shortstop. Instead, the club has to sort out how to manage the position now that its regular is available again and the depth chart has been altered by injuries and roster moves.
Seattles latest shuffle also sent Leo Rivas to Tacoma while keeping rookie Brock Rodden in the majors, a sign the front office is still weighing how much it wants to lean on experience versus giving a younger player a longer look. Crawfords return settles one part of the equation, but it leaves the Mariners with a familiar late-season question: how much stability they want in the middle infield, and how much flexibility theyre willing to keep as they try to cover the rest of the way. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Suddenly Have A New Roster Problem Fans Can't Ignore
Kade Andersons debut gave the Mariners another look at a left-handed arm with real upside, but the bigger roster picture around him has only gotten busier. Shortstop Colt Emersons move to Triple-A came with the kind of gut-punch update the organization did not need, while the club also continues sorting through injury news involving Matt Brash and Bryan Woo, two pitchers whose availability matters to just about every layer of the staff.
Jhonathan Daz being outrighted to Triple-A Tacoma adds another wrinkle, and the depth chart talk does not stop there with prospect Ace Reese drawing attention in recent reports. Even the broader conversation around former Mariners reliever Trent Thornton and the possibility of a lockout affecting minor league games has only sharpened the sense that Seattle is trying to manage immediate needs while keeping one eye on the pipeline, because the roster churn may not be done yet. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Suddenly Have A Bigger Brendan Donovan Concern
Brendan Donovans latest setback is the kind of weird, unsettling injury news that can change a clubs mood in a hurry. The Mariners have already been dealing with a steady stream of health updates, and general manager Justin Hollander described Donovans issue as a freak accident after he was hit in the head by a ball in the batting cages while not wearing a helmet. It is Donovans third stint on the injured list this season, and while he is showing improvement, he remains day-to-day.
For Seattle, the broader concern is how quickly the injury picture can turn from manageable to messy. J.P. Crawford is nearing activation, Matt Brash continues to move forward in rehab with no clear timeline, and Cooper Criswell has begun rehab appearances with an early September return expected. Donovans situation adds another layer of uncertainty to a roster that has been trying to navigate its way through one update after another. [Read more 🡒]