Analysis: Mariners' Plan For September Roster Expansion Becoming Clear
On September 1, the Mariners and all 29 other MLB teams will have their respective active rosters expanded to 28 players for the remainder of the regular season.
Clubs will be limited to carrying 14 pitchers during that time—a one-pitcher increase from the current cap for 26-man rosters. For teams running a four-man bench at the moment, Seattle included, at least one position player will need to be added in a little under three weeks' time.
This already makes predicting what the Mariners will do with their extra roster spots, barring injury, relatively easy. And over the past 24 hours, the team has made a pair of moves that have cleared things up even further.
On Friday afternoon, right-handed reliever Ken Giles, who was rehabbing from a shoulder injury in Triple-A Tacoma, was designated for assignment. This now opens the door for deadline acquisition Matthew Boyd to be the lone pitcher Seattle is able to promote to the big-league club next month, assuming he can begin—and complete—a rehab assignment of his own in the coming weeks.
The Mariners were required to add Giles to their major league roster once his rehab stint came to an end. Interestingly, they could have kept Giles aboard by optioning a young reliever like Matt Brash or Penn Murfee down until rosters expand, making their decision to part ways with the veteran indicative of their plans moving forward, particularly with Boyd.
Boyd, 31, hasn't pitched since last September after suffering a torn flexor tendon in his throwing arm. His road to recovery has come with some setbacks along the way, but he's been able to successfully throw multiple bullpen sessions as of late, including one at T-Mobile Park on August 8.
As president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto and manager Scott Servais have echoed since the trade deadline, Seattle's plan is to deploy Boyd as a multi-inning reliever. Stylistically, that's a different—and more specific—profile than what the team's other two potential options, Ryan Borucki and Brennan Bernardino, bring to the table.
Borucki, however, is currently out of action with a left forearm strain and no timetable has been provided for his return. It's possible his season is done, which means Bernardino would be in line for another quick promotion if Boyd requires more time to work his way back beyond September 1.
Nevertheless, all signs point to Boyd being Seattle's target to take its 14th and final pitcher spot once it opens or shortly thereafter.
As for the bench, the Mariners have seemingly tipped their hand there as well—at least with regards to how they will operate pre-expansion. On Saturday morning, the team reinstated outfielder Taylor Trammell from the 10-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Tacoma, which would seemingly confirm that Sam Haggerty, Dylan Moore, Carlos Santana and Jake Lamb are all safe for the time being.
In an ideal scenario where Seattle stays fully healthy between now and September, the team will likely choose between three players to add to its bench: Trammell, Kyle Lewis and Abraham Toro.
Recovering from his second hamstring injury of the year, Trammell appears to be the most obvious choice. Out of the trio, he's had the most success at the major league level this season, can naturally play all three outfield spots and provides value on the base paths. Neither Lewis nor Toro can check each and every one of those boxes.
If the Mariners agree, here's how their 28-man roster should look under perfect conditions:
Starting Pitchers (5)
Relief Pitchers (9)
Catchers (2)
Infielders (4)
Outfielders (4)
Utility Players (4)
