M’s prospects Arroyo, Montes excelling just a step away from big leagues

The promotions of top Seattle Mariners prospects Michael Arroyo and Lazaro Montes to Triple-A are going pretty well so far.

Through 21 games into their tenures with the Tacoma Rainiers, the pair are turning heads with their production at the plate in the last level before the big leagues.

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Montes, a 6-foot-5 slugger from Cuba, smacked a pair of home runs for his first multi-homer game with the Rainiers on Tuesday night.

The 21-year-old Montes is ranked as the No. 38 prospect in all of baseball by MLB Pipeline, and after his 3-for-5 performance that also included a double on Tuesday, his slash line with the Rainiers sits at .273/.343/.545 for an .888 OPS with five homers and nine doubles.

Tuesday also came with a milestone for Montes, who reached the 30-homer mark on the season combined between his time with the Rainiers and Double-A Arkansas Travelers. It’s the second straight year the lefty-swinging outfielder has reached 30 homers.

As impressive as Montes’ season has been, Arroyo – MLB Pipeline’s No. 40 overall prospect – is arguably having an even better 2026 campaign.

The 5-foot-10 Colombia native went 3 for 4 on Tuesday for his fourth multi-hit game in a five-game span. With Tacoma, he is slashing a tremendous .352/.398/.549 for a .947 OPS with three homers, seven doubles and a triple.

Arroyo, who is also 21, was being considered for a call-up to the Mariners according to a report last week by Adam Jude of The Seattle Times. While it’s hard to say if that remains the case after the M’s acquired veteran outfielder Taylor Ward from the Baltimore Orioles before Monday’s trade deadline, it makes sense that Arroyo could be in the mix for Seattle as a right-handed bat who has split his time between left field and second base this year.

Montes, Arroyo and the Rainiers are currently in Las Vegas and set to play Game 2 of a six-game series against the Aviators at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday night. The Rainiers will return to Tacoma’s Cheney Stadium for a six-game set with the Reno Aces next Tuesday, Aug. 11.

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