Cody

Bolton

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.

It was originally reported that Bolton was heading to Triple-A, but the right-hander is instead going to be placed on the shelf. The injury designation provides no clarification for a return, but he’ll be out until at least the end of April regardless. Bolton appeared in four games with a 3.00 ERA over six innings in relief.

It’s zero surprise that Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto is involved in the first trade of the 2024 offseason. Bolton made his big league debut this past season for the Pirates, compiling a lackluster 6.33 ERA, 2.11 WHIP and 22/15 K/BB ratio across 21 1/3 innings (16 appearances). Seattle’s front office has had tremendous success with several recent reclamation projects in the bullpen department — most notably last offseason with Justin Topa, Gabe Speier and Tayler Saucedo — so there’s clearly something they see in Bolton that makes him a fit for their player development machine.

The 25-year-old hurler has already made 14 appearances at the big league level this season, posting a 6.52 ERA, 2.22 WHIP and a 21/15 K/BB ratio over 19 1/3 innings. He’ll add a fresh arm capable of working multiple innings to the Bucs’ bullpen for the final weekend of the 2023 season.

Bolton has a 6.52 ERA in 19 1/3 innings out of the Pirates pen this season. That’s an improvement, though, as he was at 9.00 going into his latest stint.

Bolton makes his return to the Pirates bullpen on Sunday. The 25-year-old has been up and down multiple times this year and has a 9.00 ERA, 2.82 WHIP, and 10/11 K/BB ratio across 11 innings for the big league club.