Miles Mastrobuoni's stint in Seattle never really got going. The 30-year-old infielder/outfielder was designated for assignment back in June, and MLB Trade Rumors confirmed the follow-up: he's officially been outrighted off the Mariners' 40-man roster, clearing waivers on his way down.
MLB Trade Rumors broke the news that the Mariners had outrighted Mastrobuoni off the 40-man.
It's a quiet transaction, but it caps a rough run for a guy who never got a real chance to settle in. Mastrobuoni suffered a calf strain in March while playing for Italy in the World Baseball Classic, which pushed his season start back and kept him on the IL until mid-June. By the time he got healthy and onto the field, he managed just 8 games with the big-league club, hitting.217 with a.269 on-base percentage before Seattle moved on.
The bigger issue for Mastrobuoni is that he'd already burned his last minor-league option, which meant Seattle couldn't just quietly stash him in Triple-A without exposing him to waivers first. He cleared, which tells you something about where the rest of the league values a utility infielder hitting well below.220 with almost no thump — he's now ticketed for Tacoma rather than another 40-man roster.
None of this is a shocking development on its own, but the timing matters. Seattle is deep into the trade-deadline stretch, jockeying for bullpen help and lineup depth, and every open 40-man spot is a small asset. Clearing Mastrobuoni's spot gives the front office a bit more flexibility to make a move without having to squeeze someone else off the roster first.
For Mastrobuoni himself, this is the unglamorous side of being a org-depth utility guy — up when there's an injury, down when the numbers don't hold up, and now grinding it out in Triple-A hoping for another call. He'll keep playing all over the infield and outfield for Tacoma, and if Seattle needs a warm body again, at least he's still in the organization to provide it.