The Mariners have designated catcher Seby Zavala for task, per a crew announcement. His spot on the roster will go to first baseman Ty France, who’s been reinstated from the 10-day injured checklist. Seattle’s 40-man roster is now all the way down to 37 gamers.
Acquired alongside flamethrowing reduction prospect Carlos Vargas within the offseason commerce sending Eugenio Suarez and his remaining wage to the D-backs, Zavala entered the 2024 season as the first backup to catcher Cal Raleigh. He’s solely appeared in 18 video games and brought 43 plate appearances, nevertheless, partly as a consequence of Raleigh’s iron-man workload — his 503 innings behind the dish rank second in MLB to William Contreras — and likewise as a consequence of some pronounced struggles in that restricted taking part in time. Zavala is batting simply .154/.214/.282 with a 37.2% strikeout fee up to now.
The Mariners signed former Twins and Rangers catcher/designated hitter Mitch Garver to a two-year pact over the winter, with the concept Garver would function the full-time designated hitter. However as Garver has begun to warmth up after a dreadful begin on the plate (.229/.413/.571 over his previous 46 plate appearances), the Mariners have begun utilizing him at catcher extra continuously. He’s nonetheless solely made 4 appearances on the place, however they’ve all come previously two weeks. And whether or not it’s coincidence or not, Garver’s turnaround on the plate has dovetailed with the crew’s determination to start plugging him again into the catcher’s spot every now and then.
With Garver now factoring into the catching equation, Zavala’s grip on a roster spot appeared more and more tenuous. He’s a glove-first, light-hitting backup who’s at all times been susceptible to whiffs, as evidenced by a profession 35.9% strikeout fee. The Mariners have been looking for methods to inject some life right into a lackluster offense that has up to now been supported by a dominant pitching workers. Plugging Garver into that backup catcher function is one logical means to try this.
Although Zavala is very susceptible to punchouts and carries an ugly .205/.271/.342 batting line in 557 large league plate appearances, he’s a premium defender with notably robust marks for his framing and skill to dam balls within the dust. Zavala is out of minor league choices, so the Mariners didn’t have the power to easily ship him to the minors.
As such, Zavala will now be traded or positioned on outright waivers throughout the subsequent 5 days. Waivers themselves can be a 48-hour course of. Inside every week’s time, Zavala will know whether or not he’s cleared waivers or is headed to a different crew, both by way of commerce or declare. He’s been outrighted beforehand, so if he goes unclaimed he’d have the appropriate to reject a minor league task in favor of free company.
