Report: Mariners DFA veterans Refsnyder, Garver following trades

The Seattle Mariners’ roster is undergoing a bit of an overhaul in the wake of the MLB trade deadline, with a pair of veterans – outfielder Rob Refsnyder and catcher Mitch Garver – reportedly being designated for assignment by the team Tuesday.

Jhonny Pereda is set to rejoin the Mariners from Triple-A Tacoma and assume the backup catcher role previously manned by Garver.

The moves were first reported by Ted Schwerzler of MinnesotaSportsFan.com and confirmed by The Seattle Times’ Ryan Divish.

The removal of Refsnyder from the 26-man active roster clears space for outfielder Taylor Ward, who the Mariners acquired in a trade from the Baltimore Orioles hours before the deadline Monday. The Mariners are also expected to add reliever Seranthony Domínguez, who was acquired in a trade with the White Sox on Saturday, and activate utility man Brendan Donovan from the injured list on Tuesday.

Refsynder, 35, was an offseason signing by Seattle who had built a reputation as one of the best bats in baseball against left-handed pitching. He didn’t live up to the billing for the Mariners, hitting just .140 with four home runs, a double, 11 RBIs and eight walks to 37 strikeouts for a minus-1.0 bWAR in 53 games.

Refsnyder returned from a month on the injured list with right knee inflammation last week, and while he went 2 for 4 with a home run, a double and two RBIs in a 7-6 win over the Dodgers in his return on July 28, he went 0 for 5 with a walk in three games after.

Garver, who is also 35, hit .175 with four homers, three doubles, 15 RBIs and 22 walks to 49 strikeouts for 0.3 bWAR in 50 games this season. This was his third season with Seattle after returning to the team as a spring training signing.

The 30-year-old Pereda was a bright spot when he and Garver filled in while starting catcher Cal Raleigh spent a month on the injured list in May and June. Pereda has hit .310 (17 for 63) with two homers in 19 games for the M’s this year, which is his third MLB season. He previously played for the Marlins, Athletics and Twins.

Seattle enters Tuesday with a 55-58 record, which is 2 1/2 games behind the AL West-leading Houston Astros (58-56) and two games out of a wild card spot.

The Mariners start a three-game series at 6:40 p.m. Tuesday against the Detroit Tigers at T-Mobile Park. Mariners Radio Network coverage on Seattle Sports begins at 5:30 with the pregame show.

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