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Seattle Mariners

Mariners promote hot-hitting Mike Ford from minors, Taylor Trammell optioned to Tacoma

By Ryan Divish Seattle Times

SEATTLE – The numbers that Mike Ford has been putting up with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers over the first two months of the season finally earned him a promotion back to the big leagues.

After the Mariners announced that outfielder Taylor Trammell was optioned back to Tacoma following Wednesday’s victory over the Yankees, Major League Baseball sources confirmed the team was selecting Ford’s minor league contract from Tacoma and he would replace Trammell on the active roster. The Mariners already had an open spot on their 40-man roster. Ford’s addition will put them at 40 players.

There were earlier reports that Ford was exercising his June 1 opt-out clause in his minor league contract and would be a free agent, but sources indicated the Mariners had planned on adding Ford for the upcoming road trip, which starts Friday in Arlington, Texas, with a three-game series vs. the Rangers.

Regardless of the reason, Ford is returning to the big leagues as a member of the Mariners for a third time. He has succeeded in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. In 49 games, he’s posted a .302/.427/.605 slash line in 211 plate appearances. Of his 52 hits, he has 11 doubles, a triple, 13 homers to go with 56 RBIs, with 34 walks and 30 strikeouts.

Ford, 30, was a baseball vagabond last season, playing for four organizations, including the Mariners in two stints, the Giants, Braves and Angels. In 50 combined games, he posted a .206/.302/.313 slash line with five doubles, three homers, 10 RBIs, 17 walks and 40 strikeouts.

An undrafted free agent signing out of Princeton, Ford made his MLB debut with the Yankees on April 19, 2019, at age 26. The 2019 season was his best in the big leagues. He played in 50 games, posting a .259/.350/.559 slash line with seven doubles, 12 homers, 25 RBIs, 17 walks and 28 strikeouts.

In 151 career MLB games, he has a .201/.301/.387 slash line with 16 doubles, 20 homers, 51 RBIs, 52 walks and 107 strikeouts.

Trammell, 25, didn’t have a set role and played sporadically since being activated from the injured list on April 30. In 20 games, he had 54 plate appearances with a .133/.278/.333 slash line. Trammell had just six hits, three of which were homers, with 11 RBIs, eight walks and 21 strikeouts. He will return to the Rainiers, where he can play daily.

After breaking the hamate bone in his right hand just days before spring training opened, Trammell needed surgery and missed all of spring training. In his first MLB game back from the injured list, he hit a grand slam off Chris Bassitt in Toronto.

Mariners announce monthly minor league awards

The Mariners’ player development program, under the direction of Justin Toole, announced its monthly awards for the best position player and pitcher in May.

Infielder Jake Scheiner of Tacoma and right-hander Bryan Woo of Double-A Arkansas took home the honors.

Scheiner, 27, posted a .360/.442/.674 slash line in 24 games for Tacoma. He reached base safely in 22 of them with 10 multihit games. Of his 32 hits, he had seven doubles and seven homers to go with 20 RBIs. For the season, he has a .290/.400/.601 slash line with 12 doubles, 15 homers and 43 RBIs.

A fourth-round pick by the Phillies in 2017 out of the University of Houston, he was acquired by the Mariners, along with cash considerations, in exchange for outfielder Jay Bruce on June 2, 2019.Woo, 23, posted a 3-2 record with a 2.33 ERA in five starts for the Travelers. In 27 innings pitched, he struck out 32 batters and walked eight. It’s the second straight month Woo has taken home the honor. In April, he posted a 1.59 ERA in four starts with 27 strikeouts.

Rated as the No. 6 overall prospect in the organization, Woo has made nine starts in Arkansas, posting a 3-2 record with a 2.05 ERA. In 44 innings, he’s struck out 59 batters with 12 walks. Opponents are batting just .174 against him.

Seattle selected Woo in the sixth round of the 2021 draft out of Cal Poly despite him undergoing Tommy John surgery three months before the draft. He returned to the mound late in June of 2022 and made 16 starts, posting 1-4 record with a 4.11 ERA. But he was outstanding in the Arizona Fall League, going 2-0 with 0.84 ERA in five starts.