Mariners reinstate veteran reliever Anthony Swarzak from 10-day IL
Apr 2, 2019, 1:29 PM
The Mariners acquired Anthony Swarzak from the Mets over the offseason. (AP)
(AP)
The Mariners have made a key addition to their struggling bullpen, activating veteran reliever Anthony Swarzak from the 10-day injured list.
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The 33-year-old Swarzak, who has nine years of MLB experience, was on the IL with a right shoulder impingement. He will be available in Tuesday night’s series finale against the Los Angeles Angels, set for 7:10 p.m. on 710 ESPN Seattle.
To make room for Swazak on the active roster, the Mariners have optioned fellow right-handed reliever David McKay to Triple-A Tacoma. McKay was called up on Saturday, taking the roster spot of Hunter Strickland after Seattle’s closer suffered a right lat strain in a loss Friday night. McKay did not appear in a game before being optioned back to the minors.
Swarzak may immediately figure in to high-leverage situations out of Seattle’s bullpen. Though he only has six career saves, he has experience in the back end of a bullpen, recording 27 holds in 2017 with the Milwaukee Brewers and New York Mets. He finished that season with a 2.33 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 70 appearances (77 1/3 innings). He dealt with an oblique strain in 2018, however, and had a 6.15 ERA and 1.59 WHIP in 29 appearances (26 1/3 innings) with the Mets.
The Mariners acquired Swarzak from New York in the trade that sent All-Stars Robinson Canó and Edwin Díaz to the Big Apple, but he was held out of Cactus League play in spring training due to his shoulder impingement.
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