Mariners activate OF/1B Luke Raley from injured list, designate 1B Rowdy Tellez for assignment
The decision has come, and it’s a big one.
The Seattle Mariners announced Friday morning that they have activated OF/1B Luke Raley from the 10-day injured list and have designated 1B/DH Rowdy Tellez for assignment. The move comes after Raley missed just shy of two months with an oblique injury. His return has taken on an increasingly urgent tenor, as Seattle’s time without both Raley and Victor Robles pushed the club to unsuccessful backup plans, including a dismal run of play from Leody Taveras and overexposure of role players like Dylan Moore and Miles Mastrobuoni that contributed to their sagging recent numbers.
However, the corresponding move at hand is a signal as to the club’s expectation for Raley’s return. In cutting Tellez, the M’s are pulling the plug on the only thing that resembled a plan from the team at the first base position this year besides Donovan Solano. It was a high-risk gamble by the club, gambling on Tellez to be a strong-side platoon and exceed his performance in every previous full season. Unfortunately, while Rowdy has had some massive moments for the club, the collective performance has been poor. A .208/.249/.434 line with 11 homers and a 4.3%/26.5% K%/BB% is reflective of a player whose low success rates ran their course. While he demonstrated strong acuity for picking throws in the dirt, he could not defensively overwhelm a 93 wRC+ and -0.4 fWAR, and despite a promising xwOBA, as a low-speed, fly ball hitter, Tellez did not have a strong case to stay on the roster.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73648741/2176539055.0.jpg)
Because of his departure, it seems likely Raley will play more first base upon his return, with the M’s choosing to keep both Solano and OF Dominic Canzone for the moment. Canzone and Raley overlap in many ways, however Raley’s ability to handle 1B and his foot speed help him get an edge. However, that OF ability is more valuable than Tellez’s defensive options, and likely gave Canzone a boost. Solano’s retaining is the one Tellez might have a gripe about, but as a righty bat he allows the platoon-happy M’s to continue their line change approach more easily. In fairness to the 37 year old Colombian, Solano also has been much more potent of late, albeit hard-pressed to clamber out of the hole he dug in April.
Raley has been a genuinely excellent hitter over the past three seasons, both with Seattle and Tampa Bay prior. His deployment has been a platooned one, however, and it is to be seen whether the thin cupboard of options as listed above will push the M’s to give him a chance to earn more time against southpaws. Tonight’s matchup against LHP Matthew Boyd will be a good first test.
Mariners DFA Tellez to make room for Raley to return
Club is targeting corner-infield upgrades at Trade Deadline (sources
CHICAGO — Some expectedly difficult roster decisions came to fruition on Friday morning for the Mariners, who activated Luke Raley from the 10-day injured list but also moved on from veteran Rowdy Tellez after designating him for assignment.
Essentially, it was a 26-man roster swap of two left-handed sluggers for a club that values positional versatility, which is what made Tellez — who’s exclusively played first base — the odd man out. Raley will take over his spot in that position’s platoon with righty-hitting Donovan Solano, but he’ll also see action in the outfield, where he’s more comfortable.
The Mariners could’ve gone for a straight swap of Raley for lefty-hitting right fielder Dominic Canzone, who has Minor League options remaining and wouldn’t have forced the club to move on from Tellez altogether. But the club has been encouraged by results from recent swing adjustments — and a mental refresh at the plate. Canzone is hitting .259 with a .777 OPS and only four strikeouts in 30 plate appearances over nine games since being recalled from Triple-A Tacoma on June 9.
Solano, who began the season in a rut (hitting .138 with a .331 OPS through May 23) has been on a more upward trend lately (hitting .346 with an .876 OPS since), albeit with limited playing time (Friday marked his ninth start over Seattle’s past 24 games). Solano is also on a one-year, $3.5 million deal, which would’ve made him a costlier piece to move on from.
“These are never easy decisions, and you weigh a lot of different things,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “But I think Dom has swung the bat well here in his time and has made some changes. And so I think that was a factor, for sure.”
About The Author
