Mariners set 60-man roster for start of training ahead of 2020 season

Jun 28, 2020, 2:37 PM | Updated: 2:48 pm

Rookie Evan White is expected to be the starting first baseman for the Mariners. (Getty)

(Getty)

BY SHANNON DRAYER

Mariners Insider, Seattle Sports

The Mariners have announced their initial 60-man player pool for the continuation of spring training.

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All players will participate in “summer camp,” which will take place at T-Mobile Park with the first workout to be held Friday, July 3. The 30-man opening day roster will be selected from this group with the rest of the players being placed on the taxi squad which will train at Cheney Stadium once the regular season begins.

The full roster

Time to go to work. ⌚⚾

📰 https://t.co/D3NzoYByqS pic.twitter.com/vxuSHR8Se4

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) June 28, 2020

Pitchers

Austin Adams
Dan Altavilla
Gerson Bautista
Brandon Brennan
Isaiah Campbell*
Nestor Cortes
Sam Delaplane*
Justin Dunn
Carl Edwards Jr.
Aaron Fletcher*
Joey Gerber*
Logan Gilbert*
Marco Gonzales (LHP)
Kendall Graveman
Zac Grotz
Taylor Guilbeau (LHP)
Emerson Hancock*
Yoshihisa Hirano
Yusei Kikuchi (LHP)
George Kirby*
Matt Magill
Nick Margevicius (LHP)
Anthony Misiewicz (LHP)*
Ljay Newsome*
Yohan Ramirez
Justus Sheffield (LHP)
Erik Swanson
Juan Then*
Taijuan Walker
Art Warren
Taylor Williams
Brandon Williamson (LHP)*

Infielders

J.P. Crawford
Dee Gordon
Sam Haggerty
Tyler Keenan*
Shed Long Jr.
Tim Lopes
Jose Marmolejos*
Noelvi Marte*
Dylan Moore
Kaden Polcovich*
Austin Shenton*
Kyle Seager
Daniel Vogelbach
Donovan Walton
Evan White
Patrick Wisdom

Catchers

Joe Hudson*
Tom Murphy
Austin Nola
Brian O’Keefe*
Cal Raleigh*

Outfielders

Braden Bishop
Zach DeLoach*
Jake Fraley
Jarred Kelenic
Kyle Lewis
Julio Rodriguez*
Mallex Smith

Injured list

Mitch Haniger (OF)

Bold – Not in original 2020 Mariners spring training
* – Non-roster invitee

A notable absence from the 60-man roster is Mitch Haniger, who has been placed on the 60-day IL as he continues to recover and rehab from from lumbar microdiscectomy surgery performed Feb. 13. With the shortened season, the 60-day IL has been reduced to 45 days. Those 45 days begin Sunday so Haniger remains eligible for games this season and can be put on the active roster upon his return from the IL.

Also no longer in camp are veterans Carlos Gonzalez and Wei-Yin Chen, who were released from their minor league contracts in the last few days.

The player pool features 32 pitchers, five catchers, 16 infielders and seven outfielders. The Mariners will go with a six-man rotation during the season, with Ljay Newsome, Nick Margevicius and Anthony Misiewicz the most advanced of the reserve starters. Nestor Cortes, who most likely is a lock for the 30-man opening day roster, can start or pitch long relief.

Four of the Mariners’ six 2020 MLB Draft picks from earlier this month – Emerson Hancock, Zach DeLoach, Kaden Polcovich and Tyler Keenan – are among the invited players as are the top three picks from the 2019 draft – George Kirby, Brandon Williamson and Isaiah Campbell – and 2019 fifth-rounder Austin Shenton. These eight players plus prospects Noelvi Marte and Juan Then were added to the roster having not been invitees in the original spring training.

Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto has stated that he hoped to be able to use a good number of spots on the taxi squad for developmental players and it appears he has done that with Jarred Kelenic, Julio Rodriguez, Cal Raleigh and Logan Gilbert also on the squad. These 14 players are not expected to join the MLB team this year but will get valuable experience with both the “summer camp” to be held at T-Mobile Park and the work and intrasquad games they get in Tacoma.

A group of young relievers have a better chance of seeing big league action this year. Relievers Joey Gerber and Sam Delaplane made very good showings in Arizona this spring, and Art Warren and Aaron Fletcher could also contribute.

The taxi squad will function as a reserve corps for the big league team which will start with a roster of 30 and be reduced to 26 players after the 28th day of the season. Players on the taxi squad do not accumulate MLB service time and are not required to be members of the 40-man roster unless they are called up to the big leagues, at which time standard rules will apply.

Teams will be permitted to carry three players from the taxi squad on the road, one of which must be a catcher. The intent is that these players will remain on the team’s player pool for the duration of the season with teams being forced to surrender control over any player they wish to remove from the roster unless there is an injury, illness or suspension.

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