Mariners News: SS Chris Taylor Sent to Tacoma, UTL Luis Sardinas Recalled

The Mariners have optioned Chris Taylor to Class-AAA Tacoma, and recalled Luis Sardinas to be the everyday shortstop.

Well, that was quick. The Seattle Mariners promoted Chris Taylor from Class-AAA Tacoma on May 22 to replace the injured Ketel Marte at shortstop. However, Taylor only appeared in two games for the Mariners before being optioned back to Tacoma in favor of Luis Sardinas on Wednesday morning.

Taylor did not look sharp in his brief time with the Mariners. The University of Virginia alum committed a pair of errors in his 2016 debut on Monday night, and went a combined 1 for 3 with a couple of strikeouts across 2 games.

Despite his lackluster production in Seattle, Taylor has raked in Tacoma this season. The 25-year-old is slashing .294/.374/.464 with 14 doubles, 3 triples, 2 home runs, 14 RBI and 8 stolen bases through 39 games.

Chris Taylor is a familiar name to M’s fans, as he was once considered the shortstop of the future for the Mariners. However, after struggling to produce at the plate the past couple seasons, his future appears to be as a utility infielder. I doubt this is the last we’ll see of Chris in 2016, especially if he continues to hit with the Rainiers.

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The reality is that Taylor likely would not have been called up to replace Marte had Sardinas not been demoted to Tacoma on May 14. Major League Baseball does not allow players to be recalled from the minors until they have a satisfied a 10-day window, and that’s exactly how long the M’s waited to recall Sardinas.

Luis was phenomenal for the Mariners in spring training, hitting .323 with 5 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs and 16 RBI across 65 at bats. He clearly beat out Taylor and Shawn O’Malley for the M’s opening day utility man job. However, the 23-year-old has not found the same success now that the games count.

Sardinas has slashed a disappointing .154/.185/.269 with 1 home run and 2 RBI across 12 games this season with Seattle. However, just like with Taylor, Sardinas was very impressive during his short stint in the Pacific Coast League. He hit .406 with a double and 4 RBI through 8 games with the Rainiers.

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The speedy switch-hitter is expected to serve as the M’s everyday shortstop until Marte is ready to return on June 5. Hopefully getting regular playing time sparks Sardinas’ bat, but I have my doubts. He is a .223 lifetime hitter, and he has connected on just 1 home run in 257 plate appearances.

Regardless of what Sardinas is able to accomplish offensively, his greatest contribution will be with the leather. Known for having soft hands and a strong arm, Seattle will hope to get some quality defensive play from Sardinas. As a shortstop, Sardinas boasts a career fielding percentage of .968 across 217.2 innings.

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Sardinas will get an immediate opportunity to impress the Mariner faithful, as he is starting at shortstop and hitting eighth for the Mariners tonight against the Oakland A’s at Safeco Field.