Look who’s back: M’s re-sign pitcher who has been DFA’d 4 times this season

The curious case of veteran pitcher Casey Lawrence and his 2025 season has taken another turn.

Lawrence is back with the Seattle Mariners organization, re-signing with the team on a minor league contract after being designated for assignment by the Toronto Blue Jays.

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It’s a familiar position for the 37-year-old right-hander, as Lawrence has been designated for assignment four times in total and three times by the Mariners this season alone. And yes, it’s still only May.

Lawrence signed with the Mariners on a minor league contract last November and started the season with Triple-A Tacoma. He was called up to the big leagues and made a three-inning appearance on April 9 against the Houston Astros, kicking off what has been a whirlwind month.

Next, he was DFA’d by the M’s on April 14. He opted for free agency, then re-signed with the Mariners and reported back to Tacoma, only to be called up again by Seattle before he had even taken the ball for the Rainiers. Lawrence made a pair of appearances out of the bullpen for the M’s in Toronto on April 18 and April 19, then was DFA’d, became a free agent, re-signed with Seattle and was assigned to Tacoma again.

The Mariners needed him soon enough, of course, and he threw five innings of relief against the Miami Marlins on April 25. That long outing made him a prime candidate to be DFA’d yet again, which he was.

That time, the Blue Jays were in need of bullpen help and claimed him off of waivers on April 28. Lawrence made one appearance for Toronto, allowing three earned runs over 2 2/23 innings on April 29 against the Boston Red Sox, after which he received his fourth DFA of 2025.

The 2025 tally for Lawrence looks like this: five MLB relief appearances with 12 2/3 innings pitched, a 4.97 ERA and 1.66 WHIP, and two Triple-A appearances (both starts) with 10 1/3 innings pitched, a 4.35 ERA and 1.55 WHIP.

Prior to this season, Lawrence had not pitched in the big leagues since 2023 with 15 appearances for the St. Louis Cardinals. He previously pitched for Seattle in 2017 and 2018, and Toronto in 2017 and 2022. He provides value as a swingman who can be bullpen depth while being stretched out enough to make a spot start if needed.

The Mariners made another minor deal on Wednesday night, sending pitcher Luis F. Castillo to the Baltimore Orioles for cash.

More: Mariners trade RHP Luis F. Castillo to Orioles

The Mariners are off Thursday, then begin a six-game homestand at 6:40 p.m. Friday night against the Toronto Blue Jays. Radio coverage on Seattle Sports will begin at 5:30 with the pregame show.

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