Mariners make four more roster cuts as opening day nears

With spring training winding down and opening day less than a week away, the Seattle Mariners continued to trim their roster on Saturday.

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The Mariners optioned outfielder Dominic Canzone and infielder Austin Shenton to Triple-A Tacoma, and re-assigned right-handed pitchers Logan Evans and Shintaro Fujinami to minor league camp. That leaves the Mariners’ spring training roster at 39 players. They need to be at 26 players – including a maximum of 13 pitchers – by next Thursday’s season opener against the Athletics.

Canzone, 27, was competing for an outfield depth spot. He hit .209/.244/.395 in Cactus League play this spring, with one home run, one triple and three doubles in 43 at-bats. Last year, he batted .196 with eight homers in 67 games, while missing two months with a pair of injuries.

Shenton, 27, kicked off his return to the Mariners’ organization by hitting .265/.359/.324 with two doubles in 34 at-bats this spring. The Bellingham High School alum was drafted by Seattle in 2019, traded to the Tampa Bays in 2021 and then traded back to the Mariners this past November after being designated for assignment. He made his MLB debut with the Rays last year, hitting .214 with one homer in 42 at-bats.

Evans, 23, is one of Seattle’s top pitching prospects. He had a strong full-season debut last year at Double-A Arkansas, but struggled this spring, allowed 11 runs and 19 hits in eight innings.

Fujinami, 30, continues to be an intriguing bullpen candidate for the Mariners. After spending 10 seasons in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball Organization, he made 64 appearances with the Oakland Athletics and Baltimore Orioles in 2023. He then spent most of 2024 with the New York Mets’ Triple-A affiliate before signing with Seattle in January. He allowed four runs and four hits in 6 2/3 innings this spring. He sports a fastball that’s reached 103 mph in previous seasons, but his control remained an issue this spring with eight walks.

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