By Ryan Divish
The Seattle Times
It has worked with Austin Adams, Conner Sadzeck and could possibly work with Anthony Bass and Matt Carasiti while not so much with Jesse Biddle, Ruben Alaniz or Tayler Scott.
Given the Mariners’ organizational direction and the current roster, these sort of moves will continue for the remainder of the season.
On Thursday, the Mariners acquired yet another reliever who had been jettisoned by his previous team in the hope of finding another arm that can provide outs, innings and production.
Right-hander Matt Wisler was acquired from the San Diego Padres for cash considerations. Wisler was placed on the Mariners’ lone open spot on the 40-man roster. He is expected to report to Seattle in the next day or two. The Mariners will have to remove someone from the 25-man roster to make room Wisler, who is out of minor league options.
“I don’t know much about him,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “I was told this morning we were going to acquire him. He’s had some decent runs with a few teams and is well traveled. He’ll add some depth here, and we’ll give him an opportunity. It sounds like he has a pretty good breaking ball.”
Wisler, 26, was designated for assignment by San Diego on June 29. He’d made 21 relief appearances with the Padres this season, posting a 2-2 record with a 5.28 ERA with 34 strikeouts and 10 walks. The plan is to use Wisler as a multi-inning reliever. He hasn’t pitched in a game since June 23.
“Some of these guys are pretty much ready to go when you get them,” Servais said. “It’s the big leagues, so if there is a spot you have to pitch them.”
Wisler, a seventh-round pick in the 2011 draft by the Padres, has been traded four times in his career. He was traded from San Diego to Atlanta in 2015 as part of the return package for closer Craig Kimbrel. In 2018, he was traded to the Reds as part of four-player deal that sent Adam Duvall to the Braves. And this season, he was sent back to San Diego in a minor league trade.
In parts of five MLB seasons, he’s made 106 appearances, including 49 starts, posting a 18-25 record with a 5.15 ERA.
Haniger shut down indefinitely
After revisiting the doctor that performed his surgery for a ruptured testicle, Mitch Haniger has been shut down from all baseball activity for an indefinite period of time. Haniger suffered the injury on June 6 and underwent surgery two days later.
He returned to working about two weeks ago, including taking fly balls and hitting in the cage. But after an intense workout in Houston, he felt soreness in his groin and abdominal area. The Mariners immediately sent him back to Seattle as a risk of that surgery is suffering a hernia.
“He’s sore and we need to be really patient with that one,” Servais said. “It is a serious injury. And we need to give him time. His whole groin area is sore. He got checked out by the doctor and everything is OK, but he needs to just give it time and really slow it down. We have time. Time is on our side. This is a serious injury.”
