Mariners call up 3-time 20-HR slugger in roster move

The Seattle Mariners placed first baseman/outfielder Rob Refsnyder on the paternity list Tuesday ahead of their series opener against the San Diego Padres.

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To fill Refsnyder’s spot on the 26-man roster, the Mariners selected 34-year-old first baseman/designated hitter Patrick Wisdom from Triple-A Tacoma.

Seattle also designated right-handed pitcher Blas Castaño for assignment to make room for Wisdom on the club’s 40-man roster.

Wisdom has been on a power surge in Tacoma, where he leads the entire minor leagues with nine home runs in 15 games. The right-handed slugger batted .264 over that span.

Wisdom hit 20-plus homers in three straight seasons with the Chicago Cubs from 2021-23, including a career-high 28 homers in 2021. His most recent MLB season was in 2024, when he hit just .171 with eight homers, two triples, seven doubles and a .629 OPS in 75 games with the Cubs.

Wisdom spent the 2025 season in the Korean Baseball Organization with the Kia Tigers, batting .236 with 35 homers in 119 games.

A 2012 first-round draft pick by the St. Louis Cardinals, Wisdom has spent parts of seven seasons with the Cardinals, Texas Rangers and Cubs. He has a career .209/.291/.459 slash line with 88 homers and a .750 OPS.

The Mariners signed Wisdom to a minor league contract in January. This is actually Wisdom’s second stint with Seattle, as he initially signed with the Mariners in November 2019 but was released in August 2020 without playing a game in the organization.

Refsnyder, 35, has gone hitless in his first 16 at-bats with Seattle. The Mariners signed him as a veteran platoon bat in December. He’s been one of MLB’s best hitters against left-handed pitching in recent years, slashing .312/.407/.516 in 501 plate appearances against southpaws from 2022-25.

Castaño, 27, made his lone MLB appearance in May 2025, allowing three runs and four hits in three innings for Seattle.

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