Seattle Mariners Make Flurry of Roster Moves with More to Come

It is the first of September, and for the final time in a while, the Mariners can carry up to 40 players on their big league roster. And if Sunday’s roster moves were any indication, they intend to do just that.

Today, the Seattle Mariners added 5 players to their roster: Braden Bishop, Austin Adams, Brandon Brennan, Ryan Court, and Dan Altavilla. All 5 have played for the Mariners this season.

Of the 5, the biggest name may be Braden Bishop. The former University of Washington outfielder got a small cup of coffee with the big club this year before a lacerated spleen knocked him out for most of the season. A premier defender in center, Bishop was finally taking off with the bat in the high minors before a wrist injury ended his 2018 and the spleen injury wiped out most of his 2019.

The plan, according to Scott Servais, is to play Bishop nearly every day in an attempt to get him as many PAs as possible this season. It is only logical since the hit tool is the biggest question surrounding Bishop and the Mariners are still trying to figure out what exactly Bishop is at the big league level.

Both Adams and Brennan should be familiar names to fans, as both spent the better part of a month looking like potential closers this season. Both are good candidates to make the 2020 Opening Day bullpen, so strong performances would go a long way.

Altavilla is running out of opportunities with the Mariners organization as his lack of command and consistency have knocked the luster off the high-leverage stuff he has shown. Court is simply depth who will try to show enough to hang onto his fragile grip on a 40 man roster spot.

In addition to the 5 adds, the Mariners are expected to add more players from both Tacoma and Arkansas once their seasons end. The expected arrivals include Shed Long, Kyle Lewis, Justin Dunn, and others.

The Mariners also announced that J.P. Crawford is headed back to Seattle to run some test on a troublesome hamstring issue. The team believes he will miss at least a week. Dylan Moore will be the primary SS in his absence.

Finally, Jake Fraley, who has been away from the team for personal issues, is expected to rejoin the team in Chicago tomorrow, in time for the teams 2 game series against Cubs.