Mariners activate reliever Gregory Santos from injured list

Sep 23, 2024, 2:29 PM | Updated: 2:33 pm

Seattle Mariners reliever Gregory Santos pitches on July 24. (Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

(Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

Seattle Sports

The Seattle Mariners reinstated right-handed reliever Gregory Santos from the injured list on Monday ahead of their series opener against the Houston Astros.

The Final Push: What the Mariners are up against in last week

Santos had been on the injured list since Aug. 2 with inflammation in his right bicep.

In a corresponding move, the Mariners optioned left-hander Jhonathan Díaz to their spring training complex.

After being acquired in a Feb. 3 trade with the Chicago White Sox, Santos was expected to be a major piece in Seattle’s bullpen. However, the hard-throwing 24-year-old has made just six appearances this season while dealing with several injuries.

Santos missed the first three-plus months of the season with a lat strain before making his long-awaited Mariners debut on July 9. In his fourth appearance on July 24, he exited with discomfort in his knee. He returned to make another appearance on July 27, but exited his next appearance on July 31 with discomfort in his bicep after facing just two batters.

Santos has a 6.75 ERA in 5 1/3 innings this year, with five strikeouts and one walk. During his first full season in the majors in 2023, he logged a 3.39 ERA with 66 strikeouts and 17 walks in 66 1/3 innings for the White Sox.

With six games remaining, the Mariners enter the final week of the regular season sitting two games out of the American League’s third and final wild-card spot. The Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers are tied for the second and third wild-card spots, while the Minnesota Twins and are one game behind both teams.

Seattle is also five games behind the first-place Astros in the AL West.