Seattle Mariners
AL West
The Mariners have officially named Luis Castillo their Opening Day starter. (Source: Ryan Divish on Twitter )
Fantasy Impact: Castillo was likely always going to get the nod for Opening Day, but it is now official. The 31-year-old turned in a 3.34 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP in 33 starts last season.
Cal Raleigh is back in the Mariners lineup on Sunday.
Fantasy Impact: Raleigh had been scratched from Saturday's lineup due to a bruised heel. He is back in the lineup and behind the plate on Sunday.
Category: Injury Updates
The Seattle Mariners have outrighted reliever Mauricio to Triple-A Tacoma. (Source: Ryan Divish on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: The Mariners put the right-hander on waivers and have outrighted him to the minors after he cleared. The 27-year-old posted a 4.89 ERA across 30 relief outings between the Giants and Red Sox in the 2023 campaign.
Category: Transactions
Gregory Santos is expected to miss the start of the season. (Source: Shannon Drayer on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Santos was scratched from a bullpen session on Monday after feeling a pinch in his lat area. He underwent an MRI which revealed a mild lat strain.
Category: Injury Updates
The Mariners have placed Jackson Kowar on the 60-day injured list. (Source: Brandon Gustafson on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Kowar discovered the injury after meeting with doctors last week. He'll miss the entire 2024 season.
Category: Injury Updates
Matt Brash played catch at 60 feet and had 25 throws. (Source: Ryan Divish on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Brash reportedly had no issues. He is expected to play catch every other day to build up.
Category: Injury Updates
Bryan Woo is making his Cactus League debut on Friday against the Rockies.
Fantasy Impact: As a rookie last season, Woo posted a 4.21 ERA across 18 starts. After struggling in his MLB debut against the Rangers, he was able to bounce back quickly and not allow more than three runs in his next six starts. He'll look to take a step forward this year in his second season.
Seattle Mariners infielder Luis Urias (shoulder) is going to try throwing in infield drills on Friday. (Source: Ryan Divish on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Mariners general manager Justin Hollander delivered the news on Friday and also noted that there is still hope Urias can be ready for Opening Day. The club acquired the 26-year-old from the Red Sox this winter after he hit just .194 with three home runs across 52 games with Boston and Milwaukee in 2023, although his bat was at least 10% above the league average in his previous two seasons when he combined to hit 39 total home runs.
Category: Injury Updates
Mitch Garver is making his first start behind the plate in Cactus League play on Thursday against the White Sox. (Source: Ryan Divish on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Garver is expected to serve as the primary designated hitter this season for the Mariners, while also seeing occasional starts at catcher when Cal Raleigh needs a day off. He is an intriguing catcher to target late in fantasy drafts if you punt the position.
Bryce Miller is making his first Spring Training start on Thursday against the White Sox. (Source: Ryan Divish on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Miller posted an impressive rookie season last year. Through his first five starts, he posted a 1.15 ERA which included six shutout innings against the Astros and allowing three runs across 6 1/3 innings against the Braves. He'll look to take a step forward this year in his second season after adding a splitter to his pitch mix this offseason.
Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports that Mariners prospect Colt Emerson added 20 pounds of muscle this offseason. (Source: Ryan Divish on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Seattle drafted Emerson out of high school with the No. 22 pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. He slashed .374/.496/.550 with two home runs in his professional debut last season. Emerson said he’s hitting balls farther and feels more explosive.
Wed, Feb 28th 12:17pm EST
By Ari Koslow
Mariners manager Scott Servais said that Julio Rodriguez will likely play in Saturday’s Cactus League game. (Source: Ryan Divish on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Rodriguez has been dealing with inflammation in his hand early in camp. There was never a huge concern over his injury and he should make his Spring Training debut this weekend.
Category: Injury Updates
Logan Gilbert is expected to make his Cactus League debut on Wednesday against the Royals. (Source: Seattle Sports)
Fantasy Impact: Gilbert posted another strong season in year three with the Mariners last season. He recorded career-highs in innings (190 2/3) and strikeouts (189) while walking fewer hitters than he did the season prior. He'll remain a strong starter for fantasy managers with high strikeout upside.
George Kirby is scheduled to make his Cactus League debut on Tuesday against the Giants. (Source: Seattle Sports)
Fantasy Impact: Kirby is coming off another strong campaign for the Mariners. He'll be looking to take another step forward in year three this season as a potential dark horse for AL Cy Young.
The Pirates have claimed Canaan Smith-Njigba off waivers from the Mariners. (Source: Pittsburgh Pirates on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Smith-Njigba returns to his former team after he was designated for assignment by Seattle this past weekend.
Category: Transactions
Emerson Hancock threw a live batting practice session on Sunday. (Source: Ryan Divish on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Hancock had his rookie season cut short last year due to a right shoulder strain. He is currently likely to open the season in Triple-A and will be the first pitcher to get called up if a starter goes down.
Category: Injury Updates
Eduard Bazardo is expected to be behind in his throwing program this spring. (Source: Ryan Divish on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Bazardo is working his way back to full health in Mariners camp. He'll look to earn a role in the bullpen for Seattle.
Category: Injury Updates
Darren McCaughan has been sent outright to Triple-A Tacoma. (Source: MILB.com)
Fantasy Impact: McCaughan cleared waivers after he was designated for assignment. He'll remain in the Mariners organization.
Category: Transactions
Thu, Feb 8th 10:14am EST
By Ari Koslow
Harry Ford is reportedly expected to see playing time in the field during Spring Training games. (Source: MLB.com)
Fantasy Impact: Ford, the No. 2 prospect in the Mariners organization, has only played catcher defensively since being selected in the first round in 2021. With Cal Raleigh having established himself behind the plate for Seattle, it appears they just want to test him out at other positions.
Category: Rumors
Sean Poppen has agreed to terms with the Mariners. (Source: according to MLB.com)
Fantasy Impact: Poppen will join the Mariners on a minor-league contract that includes an invitation to Spring Training. The right-handed reliever spent all of 2023 at Triple-A in the Padres' system, but he has logged 63 MLB appearances dating back to 2019. Poppen has a career 5.08 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, and 67-to-30 K/BB ratio across 67 1/3 big-league innings.
Category: Transactions