Mariners News: Notable waiver claim, flamethrower released, Rowdy Tellez SB history

The Seattle Mariners warmed up for their 8-0 blowout over the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday by shaking up their roster, starting with a waiver claim that has brought an old friend back to the organization.

This is outfielder Jacob Hurtubise, who Seattle claimed off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds. He has been added to the 40-man roster and will report to Triple-A Tacoma.

Though Hurtubise never actually played for the Mariners, he was originally as a 39th-round pick by the team in 2019. He was an Army cadet at the United States Military Academy at the time, and chose to go back to West Point for his senior year.

It proved to be a fateful decision. As noted by Baseball America, there was a policy change in 2020 that permitted pro athletes from military academies to delay their service until after they had completed their careers. Hurtubise is taking advantage, as he's been in pro ball since signing with the Cincinnati Reds as an undrafted free agent after graduating from West Point in 2020.

He ranked as Cincinnati's No. 23 prospect for Baseball America in 2024 and 2025, primarily because of his plus-plus speed and intense effort level. Yet he only has a .503 OPS to show for 41 major league games, and his OPS at Triple-A Louisville (.522) hadn't been much better.

All the same, the Mariners have needed outfield depth since DFA'ing and outrighting Leody Taveras. The 27-year-old Hurtubise fits the bill as a guy who can play all three spots as needed.

Mariners News: Shintaro Fujinami released from Triple-A Tacoma

Also on Tuesday, the Mariners decided they had seen enough of Shintaro Fujinami. Per his official MiLB.com page, the right-hander has been released from Triple-A Tacoma.

This is not the most surprising development. Fujinami had been struggling for the Rainiers, making 21 appearances and pitching to a 5.79 ERA with more walks (26) than strikeouts (24).

This could be the end of what has frankly been an unsuccessful experiment for the 31-year-old Fujinami in the majors. Though he impressed with his triple-digit heat, he was largely erratic for the then-Oakland Athletics and the Baltimore Orioles in 2023. He spent the entire 2024 season pitching in the New York Mets farm system, once again struggling with too many walks and not enough strikeouts.

The Mariners added Fujinami in hopes of making something of him, and it is worth noting that he wasn't scored upon in 10 of his last 11 appearances for Tacoma. But given the issues the big club has been having with its bullpen, the last thing it needed was such a volatile presence.

Mariners News: Rowdy Tellez provides a fun highlight in Seattle's romp over Boston

After all of the above was done on Tuesday, the Mariners celebrated with an utterly satisfying 8-0 win over the Red Sox.

You probably want us to talk about Bryan Woo, who allowed just one hit over seven shutout innings, and Cal Raleigh, who hit a grand slam off Walker Buehler as part of a six-RBI day. Instead, what we really want to talk about is Rowdy Tellez stealing second base in the second inning:

For reference, Tellez is a hefty lad who stands at 6-foot-4 and weighs 270 pounds, with sprint speed in the 1st percentile at an average of 23.2 feet per second. He is more of an immovable object than an unstoppable force.

He does now have five stolen bases for his career, though, which is a historic total for players with his namesake. The only other "Rowdy" in MLB history is Rowdy Elliott, who played five seasons in the early 20th century. He, too, ended his career with five stolen bases.

Now that you know that, your next move should be to find the nearest water cooler and spread the news.