The Mariners head into Fenway after a rough weekend in Toronto, where they were swept to close out the series. Their first game in Boston is set for 3:45 p.m. Pacific time, and it comes at the end of the club’s final East Coast trip of the season.
The biggest Mariners roster move on deck is the arrival of Lázaro Montes. The team will call up the top prospect tomorrow when rosters officially expand, and the 6-foot-5 slugger is expected to see regular at-bats the rest of the way in right field and at designated hitter.
Seattle is making that move while also dealing with another pitching setback. Emerson Hancock was placed on the injured list with an adductor strain, an injury most likely suffered when he made a diving attempt to tag out Nathan Lukes in the first inning of his Friday start. Nick Davila was brought up to replace him on the roster and worked a low-leverage inning yesterday.
Boston, meanwhile, gets a boost right as the Mariners arrive. The Red Sox have activated Roman Anthony and Trevor Story from the injured list. Anthony has not played in a major league game since May 4, while Story has been out since May 14.
Elsewhere around the league, Byron Buxton is back on the injured list with a hip impingement. The Twins are hoping he can return this season, but with their playoff chances fading, there’s a real chance Seattle may have already seen the last of the star outfielder in 2026.
And there’s also movement involving a familiar name. Mitch Garver triggered the assignment clause in his minor league deal with the Yankees.
Other clubs have until 12 p.m. Pacific time today to tell New York whether they would add him to a big league roster, and if anyone does bite, the Yankees have 48 hours to either put Garver on their active roster or trade him to the interested team.
In Other News...
Mariners Just Closed Off The Rotation Chance Fans Wanted Most
Emerson Hancocks move to the 15-day injured list with a left adductor strain has reopened the Mariners rotation picture, and Bryce Miller is back in the mix after missing time with a lat issue. On paper, the timing gives Seattle a familiar name to plug in, but the bigger context is less comforting: Miller has battled both health and results, and his last eight starts have done little to settle the conversation around the fifth spot.
Ryan Sloan has been the arm many fans had begun to circle, especially after the 2024 second-round pick showed real improvement and a growing ceiling. His rise has created exactly the kind of opening Seattle could use, but with Hancock sidelined and Miller returning, the immediate route seems to be pointing elsewhere for now, leaving the rotation debate very much alive. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Are Finally Giving Their Offense A Prospect Worth Watching
The Mariners are set to get a late-season look at one of the most intriguing bats in their system, with outfield prospect Lazaro Montes expected to join the major league roster when it expands on Sept. 1. Montes has split this season between Double-A Arkansas and Triple-A Tacoma, building a case with the kind of offensive production that has kept him on the radar as Seattle searches for help on the lineup side.
Montes arrived in the organization as an international free agent from Cuba in January 2022, and his rise has given the Mariners something they have not had enough of this year: a prospect worth watching for his bat first. The move will not solve everything overnight, but it does give Seattle a chance to see how his approach plays against big league pitching, which is the next step that matters now. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Get A Bullpen Boost As Another Injury Reshapes Roster
The Mariners got a little help for the bullpen mix Wednesday, reinstating right-hander Cooper Criswell from the 60-day injured list as the club continues to juggle a roster shaped by injuries. Criswell had already been working in relief before he got hurt, and his return gives Seattle another arm to lean on at a time when every available pitcher matters.
The corresponding moves kept the roster shifting in the background. Right-hander Nick Davila landed on the 15-day injured list with an SC joint sprain, and infielder Colt Emerson was moved to the 60-day injured list after season-ending wrist surgery opened a spot on the 40-man roster. For the Mariners, the immediate benefit is Criswell's return to the bullpen, even if the larger injury picture keeps changing around him. [Read more 🡒]