Mariners activate RHP Hirano from IL, recall LHP prospect Fletcher
Aug 21, 2020, 3:17 PM
Yoshihisa Hirano is off the IL and will make his Mariners debut in his next appearance. (Getty)
(Getty)
The Mariners will have two new faces in their bullpen for the first time when they face the Texas Rangers on Friday night, as veteran right-handed reliever Yoshihisa Hirano and left-handed reliever prospect Aaron Fletcher will be joining the big-league club.
Drayer: Dipoto talks trade deadline, Kyle Seager, Daniel Vogelbach and more
Hirano, 36, signed with the Mariners in free agency this offseason and was placed on the injured list in mid-July and never appeared in a summer camp game due to testing positive for COVID-19. He had been working out in Arizona before joining the team’s alternate training site in Tacoma this month.
Hirano has been in MLB since 2018 after playing in Japan, and has a career 9-8 record with a 3.47 ERA and four saves in 119 1/3 innings in 137 games with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Fletcher, 24, came to the Mariners at the trade deadline last season along with left-handed reliever Taylor Guillbeau – who was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left shoulder – and minor leaguer Elvis Alvarado from the Nationals in exchange for pitchers Roenis Elias and Hunter Strickland.
Fletcher is the Mariners’ No. 21 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, and is the organization’s third-best left-handed pitching prospect according to the site and joins fellow reliever prospect Joey Gerber (No. 20) in Seattle’s bullpen. Fletcher was a 14th-round pick by Washington in 2018 after playing college ball at Houston and has yet to make his MLB debut.
Per MLB Pipeline’s scouting report, Fletcher, who is 6-feet tall and weighs roughly 220 pounds, uses a “cross-fire delivery” and can touch 94 to 95 mph with his fastball. He pairs that with a slider that’s his best secondary option as well as a changeup, which is mostly used against right-handed hitters.
After joining the Mariners organization last season, Fletcher played for Double-A Arkansas, where he appeared in nine games, recording a 3.46 ERA in 13 innings with 15 strikeouts and three walks. Across the entire 2019 minor league season, Fletcher had a 2.09 ERA in 73 1/3 innings with 84 strikeouts and 18 walks. He also threw 9 1/3 scoreless innings in the Arizona Fall League.
Follow 710Sports.com’s Brandon Gustafson on Twitter.
