Justin

Upton

The Mariners optioned him to clear space for Kyle Lewis’ return, but because of Upton’s tenure he had the ability to refuse that option and hit the open market. Upton had just a .471 OPS over 17 games for Seattle. He’ll try to latch on with another club for the rest of the season.

Upton replaced Sam Haggerty as a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the eighth and jumped on a first-pitch fastball from A.J. Puk, sending it to left field for his first home run of 2022. The 34-year-old veteran’s bat could come in handy for the Mariners down the stretch.

Great news. It’s pretty remarkable that Upton is back in the Mariners’ lineup as their designated hitter less than 24 hours after being drilled in the helmet in the fifth inning of his Mariners debut by a 91-mph fastball from Angels’ starter Michael Lorenzen. He’s hitting sixth on Saturday afternoon against his former organization.

Upton was drilled in the helmet on Friday evening in the fifth inning of his Mariners debut by a 91-mph fastball from Angels’ starter Michael Lorenzen that slipped out of his hand. Servais added that Upton never lost consciousness and was able to talk with trainers the entire time while exiting the contest. He’ll presumably need to clear concussion protocols, but it sounds like he could potentially return this weekend. Stay tuned.

Yikes. What a scary moment. Fortunately, Upton was able to get up on his own and walk off the field with some help from manager Scott Servais and a pair of trainers. He’ll almost assuredly be put through the concussion protocol. Expect the Mariners to provide an update on his status before Saturday’s game.

The presumption had been that Upton would be utilized primarily against left-handed pitching, but he’s in there against right-hander Michael Lorenzen on Friday. He was a useful mixed league fantasy player for the first half of the 2021 season, so it’s not crazy to think that the 34-year-old could still have something left in the tank.

Upton latched on with the Mariners last month after being released by the Angels prior to Opening Day. He posted just a .666 OPS with a 33.9 percent strikeout rate in 12 games for Tacoma, but the Mariners will give him a look at least against left-handed pitching.

“I suspect we could see him soon,” said Dipoto. The 34-year-old veteran slugger, who signed a minor league contract with the Mariners back in late May, is still getting his timing back in the minors, but it doesn’t sound like he’s too far off from making it back to the majors.

Seattle signed the 34-year-old slugger to a one-year deal on Saturday, adding a right-handed power bat into the outfield mix. Upton will get some at-bats in Triple-A before presumably joining the major league roster.

Upton, 34, was released on April 2 by the Angels. The outfielder struggled to a .211/.296/.409 slash with 17 homers and four steals in his 362 plate appearances with the Halos in 2021. He should see some playing time once he joins the Mariners, and is an intriguing DFS play against left-handed pitching. It’s hard to recommend him in standard leagues, however.