Seattle Mariners Grant Release to Former Pirates, Rockies Utility Man Cole Tucker
The Seattle Mariners have granted utility man Cole Tucker's release, MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reported Monday.
The Mariners signed Tucker to a minor league contract in January, welcoming him to Spring Training camp on a non-roster invitation. As it turns out, the 27-year-old shortstop and outfielder was one of the odd men out in Seattle with Opening Day less than two weeks away.
Tucker was batting .200 with a .629 OPS through 11 Cactus League contests.
Before he latched on with the Mariners, Tucker was a member of the Colorado Rockies. He spent most of the 2023 season with Triple-A Albuquerque, but managed to make five appearances at the big league level during his lone campaign with the organization.
Tucker was previously in the Arizona Diamondbacks' minor league system, and a longtime member of the Pittsburgh Pirates before that.
Pittsburgh selected Tucker in the first round of the 2014 MLB Draft. He made his major league debut in 2019 and was a part-time player in Pittsburgh for the next four seasons.
Tucker put up consistently lackluster numbers during his time with the Pirates, though, batting .211 with five home runs, 35 RBI, a .573 OPS and a -2.1 WAR in 154 games. Even his versatility in the field didn't prevent his defensive WAR and defensive runs saved from dipping into the negatives.
Now, Tucker is on the open market once again, hoping to find a landing spot before the regular season begins.
Tucker had an eventful offseason beyond all the roster movement, marrying actress Vanessa Hudgens in December. Hudgens publicly revealed that she was pregnant at the Academy Awards earlier this month.
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