Cody

Bolton

Bolton is getting swapped out for a fresh arm after allowing three runs over two innings in his one day with the Guardians.

Bolton will be making his Guardians debut. The 26-year-old had a 6.33 ERA in 16 relief appearances for the Pirates in 2023 and a 4.34 ERA in 17 relief appearances for the Mariners last season. The Guardians picked him up earlier this month after Seattle designated him for assignment.

Some extra relief depth for a team that probably won’t need much. Bolton, 26, was DFA’d by the Mariners last week after opening the season in Triple-A. He has a 5.40 ERA in 33 career relief appearances for the Pirates and Mariners.

Bolton, 26, is off the 40-man roster to make room for Jesse Hahn. There could be interest on the waiver wire, but it’s just as likely — if not more so — that he goes unclaimed and remains in Tacoma.

Bolton was the lone player from Seattle’s 40-man roster exiting big-league camp in the latest round of cuts. Arroyo is one of the Mariners’ top prospects and should reach Double-A at some point in the next few months. Díaz and Medina figure to make it to Seattle at some point as emergency stopgap options.

Bolton has made 17 appearances out of the Mariners’ bullpen this season, posting a 4.34 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and a 17/9 K/BB ratio across 18 2/3 innings of work. He’ll undoubtedly get another opportunity to pitch at the big-league level before the summer is through. Jhonathan Diaz was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma in a corresponding move on Friday.

The Mariners optioned Emerson Hancock to Triple-A and will use his spot on additional bullpen depth with Bolton. The 25-year-old right-hander had a 4.41 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 15 appearances with Seattle this year.

With the team acquiring Michael Baumann from the Orioles yesterday, they needed to make space on the active roster, so Bolton will head to the minors. The 25-year-old had pitched to a 4.41 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in 16 1/3 innings but struck out just 14 batters while walking eight. He figures to get another shot later in the season.

Bolton is serving as the 27th player for the doubleheader against the Rockies on Sunday. The right-hander was placed on the injured list with kidney stones on April 8. The Mariners will need to make another roster move after Sunday’s game, and Bolton could be optioned back to Triple-A Tacoma depending on if he’s used during Sunday’s twin bill.

The bad news is kidney stones are obviously painful. The good news is that this isn’t arm-related, so there’s a good chance that Bolton can return to the Mariners’ bullpen after the 15-day designation concludes.