Mariners News: Michael Arroyo breakout, Lazaro Montes' role, Boston Smith to AFL

In the days following the Seattle Mariners' promotion of Michael Arroyo, the prevailing question became "Where is he?" After making his first major league start last Sunday, he took just one at-bat as a pinch-hitter between Monday and Friday. His second start didn't come until Saturday.

To say that the 21-year-old Colombian made this one count would be understating it. He collected his first three major league hits in the Mariners' 19-1 romp over the Athletics, including his first double and his first home run.

Even in the wake of this performance, it's hard to know what to make of Arroyo's future with the Mariners. It's never a bad thing when a player arrives as MLB Pipeline's No. 44-ranked prospect. And yet, Arroyo is essentially a man without a position. Even Jerry Dipoto doesn't have a clear idea what to do with him.

If nothing else, Arroyo's performance on Saturday is a reminder of one essential truth: Dude rakes. This is a guy with a career .396 OBP in the minors, and who had an .843 OPS at Triple-A before he got the call to the majors. Assuming he stays in the organization, finding playing time for him in 2027 will need to be more of a priority than it has been thus far in 2026.

Mariners are in no rush to expose Lazaro Montes to left-handed pitching

As to the other highly-regarded prospect with the Mariners for the stretch run, Lazaro Montes mostly watched Saturday's game from the bench. His big moment involved simply being there for Arroyo after the game so that they could walk back to the clubhouse together. The two have become best friends throughout their respective journeys to the big leagues.

Montes has appeared in 10 games since his promotion on September 1, but only five as a starter. The Mariners have chosen to limit the lefty slugger's exposure to left-handed pitching, something that the 21-year-old Cuban has no choice but to go along with.

“My thought right now is, like, I’m here to support the team,” Montes said Saturday, per Adam Jude of The Seattle Times. “When they need me, I’m here.”

On one hand, one appreciates the careful dance the Mariners have to do with Montes. Their playoff hopes are still technically alive, and his splits clearly say he should be sitting against lefties. Between the minors and majors this year, he has a .664 OPS and six homers vs. lefties and a 1.062 OPS and 35 homers vs. righties.

And yet, a realistic assessment of the Mariners' playoff chances comes down on the side of them being cooked. This could be the best chance they'll get to throw Montes into the deep end, so not taking it could be revealed as a missed opportunity.

Breakout prospect Boston Smith will team up with Tai Peete in the Arizona Fall League

On Friday, we found out that Boston Smith, the Mariners' No. 13 prospect, is headed to the Arizona Fall League as a member of the Peoria Javelinas.

Smith has earned the extra exposure. He came into this year as a non-prospect type, but had been putting himself on the map even before the Mariners acquired him as a centerpiece in the Luis Castillo trade with the Chicago White Sox. Altogether, he's posted a .981 OPS and 31 home runs in 111 games between High-A and Double-A.

Smith is not yet top-100 material, but he has the kind of profile that could be major league-ready relatively soon. He's a hunter at the plate, a hitter willing to take pitches until he gets something he can pull with authority to right field. He's also athletic for a catcher, raising the possibility that the outfield could be his eventual home.

In a twist, one of Smith's teammates on the Javelinas this fall will be former Mariners prospect Tai Peete. He's had a breakout since going to the St. Louis Cardinals in the Brendan Donovan trade, posting a .908 OPS in 66 games, mostly at High-A and Double-A.

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