Tommy

La Stella

La Stella is free to pursue a new opportunity after going unclaimed on waivers shortly after being designated for assignment earlier this week. The 34-year-old veteran infielder, who has been plagued by injuries the last few years, got into just 12 games this year for Seattle and had just four hits in 21 at-bats.

The Mariners needed to free up a spot on both the 40-man and the active roster for Bryce Miller to make his big league debut on Tuesday night, so La Stella got the heave-ho. The 34-year-old was hitting just .190/.292/.238 with no homers and two RBI in 21 at-bats on the season. It’s unlikely that he’ll attract much interest on waivers, but stranger things have happened.

On Thursday, the M’s rolled with Tommy La Stella as their designated hitter, but Hummel will get his shot in that spot on Friday night after a terrific spring training. That’s the only change that manager Scott Servais made from his Opening Day lineup card.

The veteran infielder has been dealing with a sore right shoulder that has limited him to designated hitter duties so far in Cactus League play. The M’s still believe that it’s a minor issue though and one that they can manage, so it sounds like he should be good to go for the start of the regular season.

La Stella has been dealing with right shoulder soreness, which will continue to limit him to designated hitter exclusively for at least a few more days.

La Stella was briefly shut down due to right shoulder soreness, but he’ll make his spring debut out of the DH spot on Thursday. The veteran has a chance to make the Mariners as a bench player while making the major league minimum, with the Giants still picking up the tab on his original contract.

La Stella has yet to appear in any spring training contests due to an ongoing shoulder issue. Mariners manager Scott Servais added that the earlier he could get into a Cactus League contest is 10 days from now.

Ah yes, our first scratch of the spring. La Stella, who latched on with the Mariners last month after being released by the Giants, was originally slated to serve as the designated hitter. He’s expected to miss about 5-6 days, but there’s still time for him to get ready for the season assuming no further setbacks.

La Stella finds a new home in the Pacific Northwest after being released earlier this offseason by the Giants. The soon-to-be 34-year-old veteran infielder was limited to just 60 games last season with San Francisco following offseason surgery on both of his Achilles. His defensive versatility and playoff experience make him a nice low-cost depth addition for Seattle’s bench as the Giants are paying all but the major-league minimum portion of the $11.5 million left on his original three-year deal.

La Stella was designated for assignment last week and now the Giants will officially eat the final $11.5 million remaining on the back-loaded three-year, $18.75 million contract that they signed him to in February 2021. The 33-year-old battled a range of different injuries during his time in San Francisco and slashed just .245/.297/.380 in 136 total games played between 2021-2022.