ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JULY 12: Lazaro Montes #82 of the Seattle Mariners takes batting practice ahead of the 2025 All-Star Futures Game at Truist Park on July 12, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) Getty
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 11: Manager Dan Wilson #6 of the Seattle Mariners looks on during batting practice before the game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on August 11, 2026 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) Getty
The Seattle Mariners made two promotions ahead of Tuesday's game against the Boston Red Sox : outfielder Lazaro Montes and left-handed pitcher Hoby Milner . The Mariners signed Milner to a minor-league contract on the same day. Montes is a top 100 prospect entering his first stint in the majors. They made two corresponding moves by designating Connor Joe and Nolan Kingham for assignment. That makes room for Milner and Montes on the 40-man roster.
Montes destroyed minor-league pitching this season, hitting 38 home runs with a .928 OPS. He ranks second overall in the minors this season in home runs. MLB Pipeline ranked him 56th overall and Baseball America ranked him 57th overall on their respective prospect rankings. Montes joins Colt Emerson and Kade Anderson as the two high level prospects to play with the Mariners this season.
The Chicago Cubs released Milner recently and signed with the Mariners on August 31st. He's a veteran reliever in Major League Baseball, having played for the Phillies , Rays , Angels, Brewers , and Rangers before playing with Chicago.
The Mariners are hoping that Montes can help boost their offense moving forward at designated hitter.
The Mariners postseason hopes remain in a dire state as they only have an 11.8% of making the playoffs per Fangraphs . The best and perhaps only path of them doing so is by winning the division. They currently are six games back of the Astros . Although, the Mariners own the weakest strength of schedule for the rest of the season.
Seattle's bullpen needed the addition of Milner as Eduard Bazardo and Jose Ferrer have struggled mightily as of late. The bullpen desperately needed some fresh arms. On Monday, Cooper Criswell returned to the roster as well after being activated off the 60-day injured list.
Despite Randy Arozarena 's ongoing heroics and Cal Raleigh 's recent resurgence, the Mariners rank third to last in slugging percentage this season. Montes' power could help boost that in the short term, and any short term success could bolster his chances of being on the 2027 roster.
With the Mariners struggling to meet their goals for this season, the blame game could start unfolding soon.
As the season begins to reach its conclusion, the Mariners are falling mightily short of their postseason expectations. This team was supposed to contend for a World Series, especially after 2025's magical season. Yet, this season has showed how much this organization needs to change in order to achieve the franchise's first appearance to the World Series.
If the Mariners miss the playoffs, there should be major changes throughout Seattle. Firstly, Dan Wilson and his coaching staff needs an overhaul. Second, the front office needs to perform a proper search for the managerial staff to help lead this team. Third, president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto and general manager Justin Hollander need to adjust their philosophy. They have built some great baseball teams for the Mariners, and they should have a chance to fix what was expected to be a great roster.
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