Years after trying to acquire him, the Mariners signed Justin Upton to a 1 year, minor league debut. The former Angels OF signed with the Mariners on May 21. After reporting to an extended Spring Training, Upton has been playing for the Tacoma Rainiers. While playing in Triple-A, he hit .200 with 8 runs, 2 doubles, 2 home runs, 6 RBI’s and 6 walks across 12 games.
The veteran outfielder has been around the league little bit, playing for several teams: Arizona (2007-2012), Atlanta (2013-14), San Diego (2015), Detroit (2016-17), and the Angels (2017-21). Over the course of his career, he has played in 1,828 Major League games, with a career .262 batting average, he also has 349 doubles, 38 triples, 324 home runs, 1,000 RBI’s, 151 stolen bases and 779 walks. The Mariners will look for the four-time all-star and 3x Silver Slugger to provide a spark to the lineup. While most of his career games have come in Left Field, the Mariners will mostly play him in Right Field.
Last Year
In 2021, Upton saw his batting average dip to a .211, but he still hit 17 home runs in 89 games. The Mariners will look for Upton to provide some power, as well as be a guy that can be a threat on the base paths like Justin has been throughout his career.
In order to make room for Upton on the Active Roster, the Mariners have sent Sam Haggerty back to Triple-A. Haggerty is a guy that can play both Infield and Outfield. He appeared in 13 games for the Mariners this season, batting .188, scoring twice, hitting 1 double, and stealing a base. Though, in Triple A, Haggerty has hit .304, with 9 doubles, 1 triple and 5 home runs. He can provide that same production to the Rainiers lineup once again.
Northwest Sports Desk 