The Seattle Mariners have made a move to bolster their infield depth, promoting infielder Jose Caballero from Triple-A Tacoma and placing left-handed pitcher Tommy Milone on assignment.
Caballero, 24, was signed by the Mariners as an international free agent in 2014. He has spent the past three seasons in the Mariners’ minor league system, playing primarily at shortstop and second base. He has hit .277/.333/.380 with 11 home runs and 77 RBI in 441 games in the minors.
This season, Caballero has been playing for the Rainiers, where he was hitting .261/.313/.377 with five home runs and 25 RBI in 66 games. He was also named to the Pacific Coast League All-Star team this season.
The Mariners are hoping that Caballero can provide some much-needed infield depth. With Robinson Cano on the disabled list, the team has been relying heavily on utility players Andrew Romine and Taylor Motter to fill in at second base.
Milone, 31, was acquired by the Mariners in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers in May. He made seven starts for Seattle, going 2-4 with a 5.79 ERA. He was sent to Tacoma earlier this month, where he made two starts for the Rainiers.
The Mariners are hoping that Caballero can provide some stability in the infield while Cano is out. He should also provide some much-needed offense for a team that ranks near the bottom of the league in runs scored.
Milone will remain on assignment with Tacoma, where he will continue to work on his mechanics and hopefully return to the Mariners at some point this season.
The Mariners are hoping that this move will help them get back on track as they continue to battle for a playoff spot in the American League West.
