The Mariners have sent infielder/outfielder Connor Joe and right-hander Nolan Kingham outright to Triple-A Tacoma after both players cleared waivers, according to the club.
Joe can elect free agency, though the team did not say whether he plans to take that route. He and Kingham were both designated for assignment on Tuesday when Seattle added Lázaro Montes and Hoby Milner to the 40-man roster as active rosters expanded from 26 to 28.
Joe, 34, opened the year on a minor league deal and got selected to the big league roster in April. From there, Seattle shuttled him between Tacoma and the majors as roster needs changed. He ended up in 21 big league games and logged 45 plate appearances.
The Mariners were clearly looking for a right-handed bat with a track record against lefties, but that edge never showed up in a tiny 2025 sample. In 26 plate appearances against southpaws, Joe hit .136/.269/.318.
Because he has at least three years of service time, Joe has the right to choose free agency. But with fewer than five years of service, that decision would mean leaving the rest of his salary on the table.
Per the MLBTR Payroll Tracker, his contract pays $1.5MM in the majors and $270K in the minors. He could still decide to head to Tacoma and keep collecting that minor league salary for the next few weeks, then become a free agent after the season if he isn’t added back.
Kingham’s path has been even shorter. The Rangers selected his contract at the start of August, which was his first time on a 40-man roster.
He made one appearance for Texas, gave up one run in one inning, and then got designated for assignment. Seattle claimed him and kept him in Tacoma, where he has remained since.
This is Kingham’s first career outright, and with less than three years of service time, he has to accept the assignment. That gives the Mariners some extra non-roster pitching depth.
In 61 Triple-A innings this season, he has posted a 6.34 ERA, along with a 22.6% strikeout rate, 9.3% walk rate and 39.9% ground ball rate. The numbers are mostly ordinary, and the inflated ERA may owe something to the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, plus a .333 batting average on balls in play and a 63% strand rate.
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