Mariners Outright Tommy Milone

The Mariners have sent left-hander Tommy Milone outright to Triple-A Tacoma, per his transactions tracker at MLB.com. That indicates he cleared waivers after being designated for assignment a week ago.

All players with a previous career outright or more than three years of major league service time have the right to reject outright assignments in favor of electing free agency. Milone meets both qualifications and could return to the open market, with no public reporting about his decision yet, though it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him stick with in the Mariners’ system. This is the second time he has been called up to make a spot start, getting promptly designated for assignment afterwards. The first time was back in April, which resulted in him clearing waivers and deciding to stay, which led to his second spot start last week.

Milone, 36, has suited up for Washington, Oakland, Minnesota, Milwaukee, the Mets, Baltimore, Atlanta, Toronto and Seattle in his career, which dates back to 2011. He’s appeared in 198 major league games but has been limited to an emergency option in recent years. Since 2019, he hasn’t been able to reach 40 innings or appear in 10 games in any individual campaign. When called upon, he has been relatively effective, allowing just two earned runs in nine innings this year, with a 5.83 ERA in 24 outings dating back to 2020.

The Mariners have four healthy starters in Luis Castillo, George Kirby, Logan Gilbert and Bryan Woo. The fifth spot is open for now but it’s possible that Bryce Miller could take it after the All-Star break. He’s currently on the injured list due to a blister and is eligible to return this weekend. Left-hander Marco Gonzales is also on the IL but with a murky timeline as he is dealing with nerve issues in his elbow. The M’s recently grabbed Adam Oller off waivers from the A’s and also have Darren McCaughan on the 40-man roster.

Milone is clearly happy with the organization, having repeatedly stuck with them over the past two years despite having multiple opportunities to head elsewhere. There will undoubtedly be a great deal of roster upheaval in the coming weeks thanks to the August 1 trade deadline, which could create new opportunities, but it’s also possible he decides to report to Tacoma and wait for his next chance in the big leagues.