Mariners Outright Jose Rodriguez

The Mariners announced this afternoon that right-hander José Rodríguez was sent outright to Triple-A Tacoma. Seattle apparently placed him on waivers this week without formally announcing the move.

Rodríguez signed a minor league pact with Seattle over the winter. They selected his contract during the season’s second week, bringing the 27-year-old up to the big leagues for the first time in three years. Rodríguez pitched once, tossing three innings of three-run ball, before being optioned back out.

He has otherwise spent the season working out of Tacoma’s starting rotation. Rodríguez has pitched to a 7.53 ERA across 55 innings in the Pacific Coast League. He’s inducing grounders at a solid 47.3% clip but has a well below-average 15.3% strikeout rate.

Since Seattle had not previously designated Rodríguez for assignment, the outright clears a spot on the 40-man roster. After Tommy Milone’s recent DFA, the 40-man count is at 38. Rodríguez has been outrighted on multiple occasions in his career, so he’ll have the ability to test minor league free agency if he doesn’t want to stick as a non-roster player in Tacoma.