Phillies sign Casey Lawrence to minor league deal

The textbook example of emergency pitching depth, Lawrence oscillated between Seattle’s bullpen and Triple-A Tacoma numerous times this past season, pitching to a respectable 3.00 ERA while gobbling up 15 innings over five long relief appearances. He also made one relief appearance for the Blue Jays in late April before returning to the Mariners. The 38-year-old journeyman is back as Seattle’s ultimate contingency plan — the arm you don’t expect to need, but are grateful to have when things go completely sideways.

Lawrence can become a free agent or return to Tacoma. He was DFA’d on Saturday without ever pitching during his latest stint with the Mariners.

The cycle continues. Lawrence has been shuttled on-and-off Seattle’s roster for the last couple months. The 37-year-old journeyman figures to return at some point in the near future as an emergency stopgap option for the Mariners.

Lawrence was designated for assignment last week and sent outright to Triple-A Tacoma, but he’ll rejoin the big league bullpen on Thursday evening. The 37-year-old hurler holds a 4.08 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and a 7/1 K/BB ratio over 17 2/3 innings at the big league level this season.

Lawrence usually gets claimed by the Blue Jays after he’s designated for assignment, but they don’t have the roster room right now. The 37-year-old could elect free agency but likely heads back to Tacoma with the hope of rejoining the Mariners’ pitching staff at some point.

Lawrence threw five innings as a bulk reliever on Tuesday night, so the Mariners needed to call up a fresh arm in the bullpen. It’s likely that Lawrence clears waivers and rejoins the Mariners in the minor leagues.

Casey Lawrence was recalled to follow opener Casey Legumina as the bulk pitcher in Tuesday’s contest against the White Sox. He tossed a scoreless inning before Chicago brought a run in to score in the third on a pair of hits. Lawrence settled in for three more scoreless frames, scattering six hits in all while striking out two. The 37-year-old right-hander will likely return to the minors with George Kirby’s imminent return.

He’s back. Again. Lawrence has been on-and-off Seattle’s roster several times already this season and figures to continue lurking on the periphery of the club’s pitching mix until further notice. The 37-year-old journeyman will make a bulk relief appearance on Tuesday night against the White Sox in Chicago. He can be safely ignored in all fantasy formats.

Casey Legumina will serve as an opener against the White Sox before Lawrence takes over. With George Kirby on the way back, Lawrence could be DFA’d after the game.

The saga continues. Lawrence has bounced between the Blue Jays and Mariners for what seems like an eternity, and after being waived by Toronto last week, he elected free agency and returned to Seattle. It’s anyone’s guess as to how long he stays with the Mariners until he returns to the Jays.